The Tales of Lin and Bumi
by iamtyping98
Summary: A collection of drabbles about everyone's favorite Chief of Police and the lovable Commander. No chronological order between them, unless stated. They'll range from the two hanging out as kids, reuniting as adults, establishing relationships, flirting, fighting, etc. Because dang it, this pairing needs more attention! T for safety. Enjoy!
1. How did we get here?

"Okay okay okay….So then! I got up! And it turned out he was standing _right behind me!"_

"And you're still alive?"

"Yep! The admiral thought I was a riot! He ended up paying me to do impersonations at the next event thingy we had."

Lin shook her head. "If it were me I would have thrown you overboard."

"Which is why I feel bad for your officers," Bumi laughed. He took another sip from his cup. Once he' set it down he gave Lin one of his friendly lopsided grins, made even more friendly by the blush that had risen on his cheeks from all the alcohol he'd consumed over the past few hours. He hiccupped.

"Do you think we're drunk?" he asked.

Lin pushed some sweat from her brow and ran her fingers through her iron-gray hair. The tavern they were in was jam-packed, which didn't help with the summer night's heat. At least she could be thankful they'd found a table in the corner, and not in the center of the floor where a pai sho game was getting pretty heated.

"I don't know," she said. "Let's keep drinking and see."

The chief looked around at all the wrestlers, sailors, and broken-hearted boozers that one would expect to see in a place like this and wondered how she'd ended up here. It was a good question. She decided to voice it.

"Bumi?" she asked.

"Hm?" he hummed from inside his cup.

"How did we end up here?"

"I asked you out for a drink and you said yes. It's not my fault the nice places were closed."

"No, not that. How did we go from two kids play-fighting on Air Temple Island with our friends and siblings, to two lonely drunk adults biding their time in a tavern before they have to go home to empty beds?"

"Just lucky I guess."

She grimaced and whacked him on the arm, just hard enough to cause the commander to choke and finally set his cup down. He wiped a bit of the brew from his beard and grimaced saying, "What was that for?"

"I'm trying to be serious and you're making a joke of it."

"Well there's your answer," he said, pointing an accusing finger at her. "You're always trying to be serious!"

"And you're always trying not to be."

Bumi sighed, finally letting Lin's dejected mood get to him. "Yeah, you're right. Opposite extremes, same problem. Not to mention you're really focused on work."

"And spending half a lifetime in the United Forces isn't being really focused on work, Commander Bumi?"

"Fair point. Hopping from port to port doesn't really allow time to settle down."

"Not to mention that our love lives are-

"Awful," he finished for her. "Pure cooked awful, with a side of misery sauce."

"Clever wording."

"Thank you." He pushed their cups away and looked at her, only a hint of his former amusement still lingering in his light blue eyes.

"Look Lin," he said seriously. "I know things seem bad now; but we're not that pathetic. We've been pretty successful so far in life!" He grinned again. "Who says any of that has to end just 'cause we're getting older?"

"Sure we've been successful: at our jobs. But you're retired now. And I… Well, I can't be Chief forever," she sighed.

Bumi's eyes widened. "What are you saying?" he said with mock horror. "That someone besides a Bei Fong will be Chief of the police force? Poppy-cock! Republic City would fall!"

She managed a tiny smile. Then she sighed, pushing it away. "I mean it Bumi. I don't know what I'm going to do."

Bumi scratched at his thick brown mane in thought. "Well, the way I see it, life is what you make it. You just have to find something to do. Take me for example: I didn't want to be lonely, so I moved in with Tenzin. Now I have him, Kya, Pema and the kids, and Bum Ju all there on the island. Korra and her friends are always doing some crazy thing. The Acolytes are always good for a laugh. And I can drop everything and go to visit Mom whenever I want."

Lin sipped from her own cup. "Family," she muttered. She didn't need to say anything else. Bumi knew full well what family meant to Lin. Family meant relatives that fought and blamed one another for their problems. A twinge of pity for the lonely Earth bender hit him.

Then he shook his head. No, not Lin. He wouldn't do that to her; feeling pity for Lin would be saying that she was worthy of it, that she was just as pathetic as she felt now. And as overly serious and pushy as she could get, no one could ever call her pathetic.

A smile crept across his lips. He'd always liked Lin. As kids she was the toughest person in their group of friends, always ready to show that she could beat him, Kya, Tenzin, or anyone else at a moment's notice, despite being the youngest one in the group. As she got older they'd named her the 'Iron Maiden'. (The fact that she was a metal bender was a happy coincidence.) But, as much as he'd always like her strong side, seeing her here, acting vulnerable, _human_ even, made him care about her just a bit more.

Maybe that was because this was when she needed it most.

"Listen," he slurred, throwing an arm around her shoulder, ignoring the face she made at the physical contact. "I know you like to think that the whole you and Tenzin thing ruined you for us, but the fact is that you're still part of the group. Always will be."

She looked at him, and the tiny smile came back. "Thanks Bumi." She relaxed into his one-armed hug.

"Hey," he said, looking out across the bar. The pai sho game had calmed down and descended into friendly laughter. "You know what?"

"What?"

"When I mentioned the good parts of living on the island, I forgot one."

"And what is that, Commander?" she asked, resting her tired, drunken head on his shoulder.

"Knowing that good old Chief Bei Fong is right across the bay."

* * *

**Well here's the first one. All following drabbles will not connect to one another unless stated as such. **

**So read and review! **

**And I obviously don't own the characters.**


	2. Embarassment

"Hey Chief, I uh….."

Mako stopped mid-sentence, mouth hung open at what he saw. He'd entered Chief Bei Fong's office with the intention of delivering a verbal report about recent activity from the Triple Threat Triad. However, it was kind of hard to focus once he laid eyes on the Chief sitting on the edge of her desk, vigorously kissing Commander Bumi.

The two broke apart at the noise and slowly looked over at Mako. Bumi looked slightly concerned, but was unable to hide his amusement at the current situation and managed a sheepish grin.

"Hey there, Detective," he said with a little wave.

A blush spread across Mako's cheeks and he nervously gripped the back of his neck, eyes focused on Chief Bei Fong. The metalbender's face was turning red, not with embarrassment, but with anger. The fingers which had been running through the Commander's thick brown mane were now balled into tight little fists, and her mint green eyes glared daggers at her subordinate.

"Mako…"

"Yeah, so, um, I just wanted to let you know that, uh, the Triad created some minimal, uh, damage, in th-the-"

"Get. Out." Lin spoke with a calm voice, but at this point even Bumi felt the need to give her space and backed up behind the desk.

"Oh! Sure, no problem, I'll just come back later… D-do you think you'd be done in like, uh, five minutes or so? Because this report is kind of-

"GET _OUT_ OF MY OFFICE!"

"Yes Chief!" the firebender cried as he fumbled for the doorknob.

"AND KNOCK NEXT TIME!" She added as the detective finally slammed the door shut behind him.

"Nice to see ya!" Bumi called after him. Lin turned her glare on him next. "What? He's a good kid!"

A frustrated groan escaped Lin's gritted teeth. She walked over to her desk still seething, and took out a hand mirror to start fixing herself up. "This is your fault," she muttered.

"Aw, come on Hun, I can't help that I'm irresistible."

"Can it!"

Outside Lin's office, Mako walked to his desk and sat down. He blinked a few times, hard. "Nope," he muttered to himself. "Never gonna be able to get rid of that one."

"What's that Mako?" the detective at the next desk asked.

"Oh, uh, nothing Li."

"Sounded like you said something. Heard the Chief yell at you. I hate it when she gets that way."

"Yeah. Me too."

"Yep. But, let's be honest, you shouldn't interrupt her when she's busy."

"Busy. Yeah."

"Though it makes a guy wonder what could be important when she's just talking to old Bumi."

"Bumi. Yep, that's Bumi in there."

As if on cue, the Commander strolled leisurely out of the Chief's office. On his way to the door he stopped at Mako's desk. "She asked to see you, kid."

"Okay," Mako said, trying to avoid eye contact with the Commander. As he got up, Bumi rested a hand on his shoulder and whispered, "Good luck." Mako watched as he left and made the slow walk to Bei Fong's office. He was about to enter when he stopped himself and knocked.

"Come in."

He did so. Once in Lin gestured for him to sit down.

"I see you're finally learning to knock."

Mako looked away. "Yes ma'am."

"Good. Now listen carefully," she said, standing and leaning across the desk. "You will tell no one about what you just saw. Not your brother or Korra, not Tenzin or his family, and especially not anyone on the force. Understood?"

"Yes."

"Alright." She sat down again and sighed heavily. The Chief looked over at him and, just a tad bit sheepishly said, "For what it's worth, I'm sorry you had to see that."

"Um, no problem. I mean, it happens, you know?"

"Yes, it does."

The two sat there awkwardly for a moment.

"You wanna give that report now?"

"Yes!"

He gave his report and stood to go afterwards. But, despite the need to get out of there, a question nagged him.

"So," he said when he was close to the door, "are you too, I mean, dating?"

Lin's eye twitched. "You could call it that. Technically we are, but… Well, it's just complicated."

"Apparently."

"Yes. Now if you'd please, we both have work to do."

"Right. I'll get out of your hair."

Mako left and Lin leaned back in her chair. Tired, she muttered, "Bumi, only you could get me in a situation like this."

She glanced over at the desk and remembered the face Mako had made when he walked in. And, in spite of herself, she laughed.


	3. Exhausted

Commander Bumi let out a yawn that reached through his whole body and made him stretch his arms back behind his head. When it passed he slumped forward and crawled into the bed that he and Lin shared.

Well, _normally_ shared. For the past week or two the Chief of Republic City had worked tirelessly on a huge gang related case, and had come home late each night, so late that Bumi couldn't manage to keep his eyes open long enough to wait up for her. It looked as if tonight would be no different.

He did have one solution though. As soon as he climbed into bed, he stole Lin's pillow from beside him and curled up with it. This way, when the tired metalbender came home, she would be forced to tug it away from him, thus waking the tired wild man long enough to say goodnight to his beloved girlfriend. The pillow also helped to fend off loneliness.

Bumi knew that Lin couldn't help being busy, but that didn't change that he'd barely seen her in weeks. It was tough; every morning he'd only see her long enough for them to issue a sleepy good-bye or two and perhaps a quick hug, while at night they said even less. During the day Police headquarters was so busy that trying to visit was pointless. The most he'd been able to manage was sending in a little something for her; lunch for in case she forgot to eat, coffee when she looked particularly tired. He just wanted to make sure she'd be able to hold up until she got home and collapsed.

Now, he let out a smaller, shorter yawn and looked at the empty side of the bed. "Love ya, Hun," he said to the space before falling asleep.

Across town, Lin was finally wrapping up the last of today's paperwork. She stifled a yawn as she cleared her desk of clutter so that she wouldn't have to deal with it in the morning.

As she tossed away her lunch bag from earlier, she felt grateful once more that Bumi had been sweet enough to both make and send her lunch. It'd come in, like it always did, in the middle of the day, right when she was on the verge of keeling over from exhaustion. A bite or two of her favorite food didn't cure it, but it sure as spirits helped. She glanced over at the picture on her desk, of the two of them together at the park.

"Love you," she whispered.

The Chief filed the paperwork and left the station, the last one out once again. She hailed a cab and got back to the small town house in just a few minutes, but that didn't stop her from dozing off enough that the driver had to shake her awake. Dazed, she crawled out and stumbled for the door as the driver sped off. She went in, used metalbending to lock the door behind her, and dragged herself upstairs.

"Not again," she said as she entered their bedroom to see that Bumi had stolen her pillow. "Every time?" She went in and yanked the pillow away from him before she began taking her armor off. Bumi woke up blinking.

"Are you home?"

"Maybe. Let me check." She pinched herself. "Yep, I'm home."

"Yay," he tried to say, but the tired exclamation was interrupted by a yawn. "How'd it go today?"

"A little better than usual," she said as she pulled on her night-clothes. "We should have things taken care of by the end of the week, with some luck."

"That's great; I mean you've been so tired lately. Plus, well… I really miss you."

She sighed, "I know. And you've been so patient that I can't help feeling guilty. "

He rubbed his face. "Well don't. You've got a duty to the city. I'm proud of you, y'know."

She finished fastening her shirt and turned to him. "Is that so?"

"'Course it is. Not a lot of people put this much effort into what they do. I mean look at me: since I retired all I do is sit on my ass all day."

"Except when you send me lunch," she said with a small smile. "You really don't know how much that helps."

"No problem, Hun."

Lin looked at the bed where he was curled up. The sheets were wrinkled and warm, and nothing had ever looked so inviting. "Got any room in there for one more?"

The wild man gave her a lopsided grin and lifted up one arm to allow her in. "Always."

The tired Chief crawled into bed and turned over on her side, letting Bumi put his arm down, embracing her from behind and pulling her closer. They both smiled a little before falling asleep. Something told them this was going to be the best night's sleep either of them had had in weeks.

* * *

**Thanks for all the great reviews I've gotten! You guys are awesome!**


	4. Sandcastles are Serious Business

"I'm gonna beat you Lin!"

"Oh, no you won't!"

Lin picked up her pace, her feet pounding across the hot pavement. As soon as they were closer she and Tenzin veered off and onto the scorching sand, both making a beeline for the water.

"_Come on, come on,"_ she willed her legs to go faster, to get to the water, both before the young airbender and before her feet were unable to take the sand's heat.

Unfortunately for her, Tenzin had been practicing lately and was able to use his bending to create a wind blast that launched him into the water. Lin saw she'd been beaten and stumbled to a halt on the strip of wet sand. She gritted her teeth, furious.

"No fair," she cried as Tenzin splashed around victoriously. "You used bending!"

The airbender smirked from where he sat in the shallows. "So? You _could've_ used sandbending."

The earthbender glared at him and said, "No I couldn't, and you know it. I don't know how yet; I'm only six y'know!"

"So? I'm six too, and I can already do a lot of stuff. Face it Lin: I won! And your dessert is _mine_!"

"Well aren't you just special?" she snapped, as she stomped back to the edge of the wet sand and sat down to pout. "Stupid Tenzin," she muttered.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" a voice behind her asked. Lin looked back to see that Kya, Bumi, and Honora had finally caught up. Kya, carrying the picnic blanket, had asked the question. Bumi was too busy carrying the picnic basket and making Honora giggle for either of them to pay attention. Lin rolled her eyes. The only thing she'd been looking forward to about this "Kids Only" picnic on Ember Island Beach was the dessert, which she had now lost to Tenzin.

Tenzin rose out of the water dripping, saying, "I beat Lin! I won!"

"Nice job, little brother!" Bumi called. He turned back to Honora to say, "'Course if I'd chosen to race, I would've beat both of them."

"Oh, of course," the thirteen-year-old princess laughed as they reached the spot where ten-year-old Kya was laying down the blanket. "It was nice of your Mom to make us a picnic."

"Well it was nice of your dad to let everyone stay at his beach house," Bumi replied.

"Are you kidding? If you guys hadn't come we would've all died from boredom!"

"_Blah blah blah,"_ Lin thought while glaring at Honora. It wasn't that she hated the princess, per se, but she strongly disliked the fact that when she was around, Bumi paid attention to no one else. The non-bender was supposed to be _her _friend; wasn't being royalty enough? Did Honora really have to take Bumi too?

"Okay guys," the wild-haired teenager called, "Let's dig in!"

Everyone feasted, except Lin who wasn't fond of Water Tribe food and just picked at a strange noodle concoction as Tenzin shoveled her pudding into his mouth, gloating with each bite. After they'd finished eating, Lin sat on the blanket, chin on her knees while the others played. She wasn't interested in picking up shells, she was too angry to play with Tenzin, and Toph had given her a dislike for swimming. So instead she sat and scratched at her itchy bathing suit.

She watched with jealousy as Bumi and Honora paddled out to the sandbar. "_If I could swim I bet I'd beat her," _Lin thought. But her mother had told her never to pout, so she'd have to find something else to do.

The girl looked over to see Tenzin constructing a sand castle on the wet strip, and suddenly an idea came to her. "Hey Baldy!"

"What?" Tenzin grumbled at the sound of his nickname.

"I bet that I can build a better sand castle than you!"

"Cannot!"

"Can too! And if I do, I get your dessert tonight, as payback for today."

Tenzin's eyes widened. "No way!"

Lin got up and stomped over to him. "Are you afraid I'll beat you, Baldy? Huh? You should be! I can build a way better castle than that puny thing!"

The airbender stood up, suddenly motivated. "You're on!"

The two settled on a two-hour time limit and got straight to work. They both constructed outer walls first, but then split off with Tenzin building a moat while Lin tried to work on a spire. As the minutes dragged by, both of them began to regret entering this bet. It was getting hotter, and the tide was starting to get closer to their constructs.

"_Can't lose again, can't lose again, can't lose again…"_

Kya came over with a bucket of seashells and asked, "What are you guys up to?"

Tenzin recognized an opportunity and looked up at his sister with his best puppy eyes and said, "Lin made me bet my dessert on this sand castle contest!"

The waterbender looked at her brother's pathetic heap and his watering eyes, and couldn't help but feel pity. "Well," she said, sitting down, "maybe if we just add a shell or two here…"

"Hey, you can't have help!" Lin called.

"Nobody made a rule against it!" Tenzin called back. "So there!" He stuck out his tongue.

At this point Lin was on the verge of just giving up; and when the tide came up again and destroyed the east wing of her construction, she was on the verge of tears. She hated losing more than anything else in the world, whether it was a contest or a friend, and today it felt like she was losing both. Bumi hadn't talked to her once today and if he won again Lin didn't feel like she'd be able to speak to Tenzin.

With only forty-five minutes left to go, Lin sat down and stared at her little heap, her lip trembling at how hopeless and lonely she felt.

"Excuse me, sergeant, but you look as if you could use some reinforcements."

Lin looked up to see Bumi grinning at her, standing like a wet, wild-eyed hero. She watched in awe as he immediately set about correcting the damaged wall, even sitting in the path of the tide to prevent any further destruction.

"Where's Honora?"

Bumi rolled his eyes. "Sun bathing."

Lin laughed, "Doesn't she get enough sun without lying around?"

"That's what I said!"

The two joked around as they rebuilt the castle. While Kya used waterbending to keep hers and Tenzin's together, Lin used earthbending to find sea rocks that would look perfect on theirs. By the time they were done the two castles looked equally impressive: one reaching high, decked out with seashells, and the other wide, covered in smooth, glittering stones.

"Who's gonna judge?" Tenzin asked. Bumi stood up and called across the beach to where Honora was lazing, "Hey Princess, get over here!"

Honora came over and was tasked with judging the castles. She looked back and forth between the two castles, and then at the builders. Kya, Tenzin and Bumi were all smiling at her, hoping to win her favor. But Lin wasn't. The little earthbender instead looked nervous. Given her feelings for the Princess, she wouldn't be surprised if the win was given to Tenzin just to spite her. She trembled with nervousness, feeling the weight of how much was riding on this: dessert, pride, friendship… It was amazing how serious sand castles could be.

The princess looked at the nervous little girl and then at Bumi. The teen met Honora's eyes and looked pointedly at his little friend. "_Don't disappoint her,"_ he tried to signal. Honora smiled back.

"And the winners for Best Sand Castle are: Lin Bei Fong and her partner Bumi!"

"WAAAAHOOO!" The non-bender shouted as he jumped up and twirled his partner around in the air. Lin laughed with delight.

"Nooo!" Tenzin cried, and dramatically fell back into the sand. His sister laughed and said with a shrug, "Maybe next time, little bro."

"But I lost my dessert, and Dad's supposed to make his special fruit pie!"

The victors had settled down enough to overhear his plight and Lin dropped to the sand and strolled over to her rival, green eyes filled with gloating mirth. "Well Tenzin," she said, "I _might_ let you eat dessert, _if _you admit that I'm the best sand castle builder in the world-

"You're the best sand castle builder in the world.

"- the fastest racer-"

"You're the fastest racer in the world."

"- and that I'm better than you in every way possible and you'll never be able to beat me at anything."

Tenzin hesitated on that one.

"Fruit pie, Tenzin," Bumi moaned. "Specially made with the recipe taught to Dad by Monk Gyatso. An ancient secret passed down through generations of Air Nomads, each one perfecting the recipe as they went. Can't you just taste it now? So moist, so sweet, so-"

"Okay, fine!" Tenzin conceded.

"Yes," Lin shouted, pumping her fists in victory.

"We'd better go back guys," Honora said as she picked up the basket. Kya picked up the blanket again and dragged a wilted Tenzin away from the water. Bumi went in front of Lin and pulled her onto his back.

"Thanks for helping me, Boomer."

"No problem Linny."

"Though I guess it is the least you could do, since you've ignored me."

Bumi started walking as he asked, "What? When did I ignore you?"

"All trip! All you've done since we got here is hang out with Honora." She pressed her face into his bare back for emphasis.

Bumi considered this. "Well, I guess you're right. But you've gotta understand that I never get to see Honora, so when she's around its special. You I can see anytime."

"It's just that I thought I was your favorite."

"Aw, Linny, of course you are! You'll always be my best girl. Always."

"Good," she said grinning. She pulled his face around so that their eyes met. "You better not forget it either!"

"Yes ma'am! Now hang on; you might've lost coming here, but I'm not gonna let you lose going back!"

With that he put himself in top gear and sped past his siblings and Honora, Lin clutching his damp hair like reins, laughing.

"Oh no you don't," Kya called and took off after them. Tenzin hopped on Honora's back and the two brought up the rear of the staggering, laughing race.

Later that evening, the five kids ate so much fruit pie that they got sick, and swore off the stuff for the rest of the week. No one felt like pointing out the irony in this.

* * *

**Because I'm not very original, I'm going to do like everyone else and call Zuko's daughter Honora when she's mentioned in these drabbles until Bryke is kind enough to give us an real name. Also, since we don't know the real age differences between Tenzin and his siblings, I just ball-parked it based on the picture from **_**Civil Wars, Part 2**_**.**

**Yeah, so this was kind of Diet Linumi; I blame Honora. ;) I hope you guys enjoy anyway!**


	5. Tough to Say

Bumi was the first to say it. This wasn't surprising of course; he'd always been more trusting in his relationships. Lin… Not so much. Tenzin had obliterated what little trust she had when he'd left her for Pema. Since then the earthbender had been extremely resistant when it came to expressing any sort of feelings.

Which was why it came as such a surprise when, just as they were saying goodnight outside her house at the end of a date a mere month into their relationship, he said, "I love you."

Her mint green eyes had blown wide, and her body went rigid, unsure of how to respond. Of course, as always, Bumi just grinned at her, and then laughed as a small blush spread across her cheeks. "What do you mean?" she finally managed.

"I mean, I love you," said he, still smiling. He poked her in the side. "Also, you should see your face."

Lin, normally so sure of herself, found herself unable to voice her thoughts. "Bumi I… I don't…"

He held up a hand to stop her. "No worries, Hun. Don't say it 'till you're ready."

As he went down the front steps on his way back to Air Temple Island, she got her voice back. "What makes you so positive that I'll say it at all?"

The retired commander whirled around but kept walking down the street backwards. He called, "Oh, trust me Miss Bei Fong. I have an instinct about these things." Even in the dim light she could see the odd mixture of confidence and mischief gleaming in his eyes. "You'll be saying it sooner than you think."

Bumi turned back around just in time to miss Lin's gaze narrowing at him. She aimed the stare at his back until he was halfway up the block. Then she turned around, went in and bolted the door.

Maybe Bumi didn't realize what he'd said (he probably did though; he wasn't nearly as dumb as he acted), she did. Assuring her that she would eventually tell him "I love you" was implying that she would love him. That she would be in love - with him. Bumi. Her ex-for-over-twenty-years-boyfriend's older brother who'd spent most of his life in the United Forces, hopping around the world, saving the day, breaking hearts, and generally never feeling inclined to grow up. And now he claimed to love her and that she would soon reciprocate. That was…

Entirely too much for Lin to process. She went to bed immediately, doing her best to keep the wild man out of her thoughts.

A week or so later he said it again, while they were at dinner. Then again a few days later when he visited her at Police headquarters. Then again when she went to visit him at the island. That one stood out especially because he said it in front of his family, including Tenzin himself.

"Awwww," Jinora, Ikki and Kya chorused, while Meelo opened his mouth wide in surprise and Korra tried not to laugh. Lin didn't even bother to glance at Tenzin and Pema; she didn't want to know what they thought about this. The past couple of times she'd ignored him, knowing that he was doing it mostly to rile her up. This time she couldn't let it go unmentioned - that would be embarrassing for them both. So she consented to stay quiet, smile, and conspicuously hold his hand.

When he walked her to the ferry that evening she stopped mid-stride to say, "That was really low, putting me on the spot like that."

Bumi looked at her with genuine confusion. "What do you mean?"

Lin glared and said, "You _know_ what I mean."

"Oh yeah, that." He looked away and shrugged. "Just felt like telling you."

"Well, I don't appreciate you saying it in front of everyone. They expect me to say it back."

Bumi shrugged again. "Just act like they aren't there."

Lin huffed and turned to go. Bumi called after her, "Oh, come on Lin, what do you want me to do? Just _not _be in love with you?"

"I would like that, yes," she called back, getting more frustrated by the minute.

"Well, then I can't help you," he said, strolling up to her. He put his hands on her shoulders and pulled her a little closer. "You're stuck with me, Hun."

She closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder. "Why do you have to be so good?" she mumbled.

"Bad habit," he whispered and kissed the top of her head.

The hardest part became that she wanted to say it. She really did. Every time he said it to her she felt it in her chest, trying to get out, but somehow it could never reach her lips. What made it worse was that he started turning it into a joke. He said things like, "Hey, would you say it if I paid for dinner?" Lin had known him long enough to recognize that he was trying to cover it up. Bumi always made jokes to hide how insecure he was. She _hated_ that she was causing it.

Then there was a day where everything seemed to fall apart. Lin not only hurt her leg on the job, but she also got chewed out by President Raiko afterward for letting the perpetrator get away. Due to her injury, she was told to stay off her leg as much as possible for at least a week. This of course ruined their dinner plans for the evening, but it was just as well considering the restaurant they'd booked had to be closed for health code violations. They couldn't go to Air Temple Island because Bumi and Tenzin had a fight and decided they needed "some time apart." Then, to top it off, the power went out in Lin's housing block.

So, the two ended up sitting on the couch in the living room surrounded by candles, playing cards while gnawing on leftovers, with Lin propping her foot up on Bumi's lap.

"I fold," the commander said, tossing down his cards.

"And victory is mine," said the chief as she picked up the last dumpling. She looked at it in the dim light and then over at her partner. "This is nice," she said quietly.

Bumi nodded. "The best dates are the ones where you don't have to go out."

"Agreed." She raised her chopsticks in the air and toasted, "To us?"

"To us!"

They touched the ends of their chopsticks together and smiled. Lin leaned back into the couch, putting both legs in Bumi's lap. He rubbed the heel of her injured limb gently. "Ya doing okay?"

"Yes. I just can't believe I'm not allowed to go into work tomorrow."

"Well you have to give someone else a chance to kick ass."

She hummed a laugh. "Good point. And _that_ feels good. I always wanted a man who'd rub my feet."

"Is that so?" he asked raising a wild eyebrow. "What would you do if I kissed 'em?"

Lin raised both her brows at that. "You wouldn't."

"Oh really." And without a moment's hesitation he pressed his lips into the tops of both her feet.

She covered her mouth, trying to contain her laughter. "What is wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me? Why what's wrong with me is that I love you."

"And I love you."

They both paused, and stared at each other. After a minute he asked, "Did you just-?"

"Maybe."

They remained quiet for another moment.

"Be right back," he told her. The commander lifted her leg, got up and set it back down gently before calmly walking out the front door. Lin sat straight up wondering what he could be doing.

Then she heard, erupting from outside in the dark streets a loud cry of, "YAAAAAAHOOOO!"

This time Lin couldn't keep it in and she laughed out loud.

Bumi came back in grinning ear to ear and sat on the floor near her face. "So that's what it took? Kissing your feet?"

Lin shook her head, smiling. "No, of course not. It was just… Having you here, I guess. I don't know."

The earthbender reached out and put a hand on his cheek. "I'm sorry I couldn't say it sooner," she whispered.

He turned his face and kissed her wrist. "Don't be," he whispered. Gently he reached up and pressed her palm to his face. "I like it better this way."


	6. Don't Tell

"Bumi, what's going on?" Kya protested as her older brother dragged her out to the courtyard. "All I asked was how you were doing."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he muttered and waved his hand at her to be quiet. The retired commander looked all around the empty yard and waited a moment to see if anyone was going to join them. When he felt safe, Bumi turned to her, grinning.

"Alright," he said, talking with his hands in an animated fashion. "Now this is really big news and I really want to tell you, but I'm not supposed to tell you because it's a secret, but I'm gonna tell you anyway so you have to make sure not to tell anyone. Okay?"

Kya took a moment to translate his gibberish. Then she said, "Okay. What's up? What's so important that you have to keep it a secret?"

He looked over his shoulder one more time before he leaned in and whispered, "I have a _girlfriend_."

The waterbender's eyes widened at the news. "Are you serious?"

"For once, yes," he said, smiling wide. His light blue eyes were filled with happiness from being able to share his news. "I really do! We've been going out for about a month."

"A month? Who is she? What's her name? Do I know her?"

"Yes, I'm not telling, I'm not telling, and yes."

Kya scrunched her face, frustrated. "Oh come on Bumi I… Wait I know her?"

"Yes," he said smugly, "but there's no way you'll be able to figure out who it is."

His sister thought for a moment. "Is it Lin?"

The commander's jaw dropped. "How did you…?"

"Then it _is _her? OH MY GOSH! Bumi!"

He reached up to shush her, only to have his hand smacked away. Kya was too thrilled to be quieted. "That is so _adorable_!"

"Shh! Could you keep it down a little?"

"I mean, I knew you'd been flirting with her months, but I never dreamed that she'd actually go out with you!"

Bumi quit trying to shut her up long enough to deliver an insulted glare. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Kya waved her hand at him and explained, "Oh, you know what I mean. Lin's not the type that would usually go out with someone like you; someone that's all "fun" all the time. But the two of you together? Complete opposites? That's just too cute!"

"So you approve?" he questioned. "Of the relationship, I mean."

"Approve? Bumi, this is the best thing that you've done since you joined the United Forces; and that was decades ago!"

He let out a contented sigh and started smiling again. "Great. I knew you'd understand."

"I remember when we were kids and she always wanted to play with you because she you were the most fun. And you always put time aside to do something for her. It was always so sweet…"

"Yeah well," Bumi interrupted his sister's gushing, "It's obviously a little different now. We do a lot more than play on the beach and go to the city to get candy. But… God, I can't even tell you how great I feel when we're together." A dreamy look came over his face. Kya smiled and hugged her brother.

"I am _so _happy for you, big brother." She pulled back to look at him. "And don't worry: I won't tell anyone until the two of you are ready."

Bumi grinned and hugged his little sister. "You're the best, you know that?"

"Yeah, I know. Hey… Isn't that the ferry?"

The pair went to look and, sure enough, a boat was coming into harbor with none other than Lin Bei Fong on board.

"Well, speak of a spirit!" Kya said, grinning. "You'd better go down and meet-."

She stopped when she realized Bumi had already taken off. The retired commander hurried down the steps to the landing, hoping to get a few minutes of private conversation in before anyone else showed up.

"Hey there," he called when he was only a few feet away from his girlfriend. "What's a police chief like you doing on an island like this?"

"Looking for one of my detectives," said Lin evenly. "Is Mako around?"

"Sorry Hun, haven't seen him. Oh, uh, by the way: I told Kya."

Lin arched an eyebrow. "Told Kya what? Wait… Bumi!"

The metalbender looked around as if expecting people to jump out and start questioning her, before she laid an accusing glare on her boyfriend.

"We agreed not to tell anyone!" she angry-whispered.

"I know," he said putting his hands up in his defense. "But Lin, it was Kya. You know she isn't going to tell anyone. And she couldn't be happier for us!"

"But why would you tell her at all?" Lin asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Because…" Bumi said, looking at his shoes now. "Well… When I'm happy I like to talk to people about it." He looked up and met her eyes, a peaceful smile on his face. "And Honey, this is the happiest I've been in _ages._"

Lin raised her eyebrows and leaned her head back a bit, considering this. "Well," she muttered, "I'm glad you're happy. But in the future, please tell me before you do something like this."

"Will do, Hun."

The two of them looked around. When they didn't see anyone coming, they both leaned in for a quick peck.

"I'm happy too," she whispered before he pulled away.

Little did they know that a certain waterbender was standing high above them, trying not to squeal as the pair walked up the steps side by side.

* * *

**I imagine Kya as being a total fangirl for this relationship. She was fun to write!**

**In other news: SEASON 3 EPISODES 4 & 5 AIR **_**TONIGHT!**_ **YAH BABY! **


	7. Code Names

**SPOILERS for the episode "In Harm's Way." **

Lin watched and let out a small, relieved sigh when she saw Tenzin's sky bison, Oogi, flying to catch up with the airships. From her vantage point she could see the master airbender as well as Korra and the others riding atop the great beast. With Asami in the luxury ship next to her and Bumi and the airbenders in the hold, this meant that they were all home free. The police chief relaxed her grip on the Police airship's controls, no longer worried about whether they'd all be getting out tonight.

A bang behind her signaled someone crawling up out of the hatch. Lin turned her head to see Commander Bumi coming up the ladder that led from the ship's hold. He wore an admonishing look as he said, "I meant it. Why is it that no one appreciates a good code name these days?"

Lin rolled her eyes. "The breezies are in the hold? Cue the balloons? What sort of code is that?"

"A first-rate one if you ask me," Bumi said as he shut the hatch and walked over to where she stood behind the controls.

"Oh, whatever. The point is we're all out." She turned back to the glass, carefully guiding their hodgepodge little air fleet and looking for a safe place for them to land. Meanwhile Bumi continued to pout. Lin glanced at him briefly, "Bumi, if you wanted us to use code, you should've briefed everyone on it _before_ the mission."

"Well, it's not my fault that no one ever listens to me," the new airbender grumbled.

"Yes it is," she said offhandedly while viewing the dim horizon. After a few minutes she realized the commander hadn't responded and turned her head to look at him. He was standing off to the side, arms crossed over his chest, looking upset and insulted. Lin turned her head back to face the front and let out a short grunt.

"Oh, come on now. Don't act so gloomy… Papa Bear."

At the sound of his code name Bumi immediately perked up. "Copy that, Iron Maiden," he said happily, stepping closer to her.

"Iron Maiden?"

"Yeah. You know, 'cause you're so tough. Plus the metalbending makes for a nice double entendre." The new airbender reached over and casually rapped his fist against the Lin's armor.

She shook her head, a grin tugging at the corner of her mouth. "I swear, Commander, one of these days I'm going to figure out what's wrong with you."

"When you do, let me know."

Lin shook her head once more, this time amused. "By the way, you did a good job getting them out of there."

"Well, without your ship we'd have been toast, so I guess you could call us even."

"Sounds good to me."

Even though she wasn't looking, Bumi gave her a friendly grin. It had been a while since he'd gotten to talk to Lin, and he hadn't realized how much he missed it. So, he stayed right by her side until they landed, and even then he walked close to her as they exited the ship to go and recon with Tenzin.

* * *

**I don't plan to do very many tie-ins with episodes. But considering this is the **_**first **_**episode where we ACTUALLY GET TO SEE THEM TALKING TO ONE ANOTHER (albeit via telephone), I couldn't resist. :D Also, I apologize for how short this is, but I just finished getting punched in the feels by Episode 5. Oh God, Lin… :,(**

**One more thing: You guys are **_**awesome**_**. Thank you so much for the great reviews! I also like some of the ideas you guys have thrown out there; I plan to use most of them at some point. So if anyone else has any thoughts, feel free to tell me! **

**(Now if you'll excuse me, I need to find a way to wait until next Friday without going completely insane!)**


	8. Unbroken

Lin stood atop the rocky cliff and looked across Yue Bay. The United Forces had come just a few short hours ago and began tackling the job of clearing out the remaining Equalists. With Amon gone, there was no doubt that their threat against Republic City would be eliminated before the week was done.

The former police chief turned her gaze away from the city and toward the horizon where the sun had begun slipping beneath the waves, setting the sky a bright orange hue. A cool breeze ruffled her iron-gray hair. There was only a small window of time before the Acolytes would finish preparing Tenzin's sky bison, Oogi, for the long journey to the South Pole. Lin planned to spend this time alone.

Of course, plans could be changed without notice, and hers were soon changed by Commander Bumi. He didn't have to speak for her to know it was him who had just walked up behind her. Lin could recognize the sound of his boots thudding against the rocks on his way up.

"Hello, Commander," she murmured in greeting.

"Hello, Chief," he replied.

Lin crossed her arms over her chest and felt the place where her badge used to be. "I'm not the Chief anymore, Bumi."

"Nonsense." She heard him move, and felt him next to her, but refused to look at him. "You'll always be the Chief, Lin."

She stayed silent for a moment.

"I assume Tenzin told you?"

"Yes."

The former earthbender breathed in deeply. Even though he knew, she needed to say it out loud, and she required strength to voice these next words. "He took my bending."

She could feel his gaze on her. "I know, Linny," she heard him whisper. "I'm so sorry."

Lin let out a huff of air, one which would normally constitute a laugh, but instead fell flat. "Of course you're sorry," she scoffed. "You're a good person. Good people are always so sorry when bad things happen."

"Lin-."

"Don't. Don't you dare," she growled, finally turning to him, "stand there and pity me. That's the last thing I need now: for Commander Bumi to come marching in with his forces and looking at me like I'm just some civilian. As if I'm about to break. Well let me tell you something, Commander."

She was close to yelling now, when she said, "I am not going to break. I will never break."

Bumi just stood there, his wild hair waving in the wind, and spoke to her calmly. "I came over to talk to you."

This time what she let out was like a bark, high and cold. "Talk to me? Well it's about time!" She turned and faced him full on, a sarcastic smile painted on her face. "Everyone keeps tip toeing around me, trying to act like I'm not there. But the thing is, they can only do that for so long; then when they stop the tip toeing, they stare. They _stare_ at me. And they don't say anything."

Lin looked at the horizon once more. "I gave up my bending for them, and they can't even _speak_ to me."

She felt a hand on her shoulder. "Lin, don't think they don't appreciate what you did. Tenzin told me how brave you were; he praised you."

The woman stepped forward so that her nose was nearly brushing the Commander's. Her green eyes swam with so many emotions that it was a wonder she hadn't burst already. But that was Lin.

"If he's so grateful," she muttered, jaw clenched tight, "then why isn't he here? Why are you the one telling me instead of him? Why, after all these years, does he not have the _goddamn decency, _to march over here and tell me all of this?"

Bumi took in the sight of her. After barely seeing Lin for so many years, he'd never dreamed that this would be how their reunion went. It saddened him; but that wasn't important now.

"Because," he whispered, putting both hands on her shoulders, "he's afraid. He doesn't know how to tell you all of this. But Lin, I want you to know this: nothing, not a thing in this world, can ever compare to what you've done for our family. You put your life and your bending on the line for them. The United Forces doesn't give out a medal deserving enough to honor what you've given."

Lin closed her eyes during this speech, breathing in deeply, in and out, in and out. Bumi could see that she was trying, trying so hard not to break down. He didn't know how to help her anymore than he knew how to control the emotions that had welled up inside him while he spoke. So he did the only thing he knew to do: he hugged her.

His arms wrapped around the de-bended officer, Bumi let loose a small tear. He had spoken the truth. When he had arrived in Republic City he'd been overjoyed at the sight of his family, safe and sound on the dock. But soon, after they'd told him in-depth about Amon and the Equalists' attack against the city, the commander had become queasy with the thought of what could've happened to his little brother and his family. After Tenzin informed him of Lin's sacrifice, of how she had lost her earthbending to Amon, he had immediately sought her out. Now all he could do was cry silently while she stood rigid in his arms.

"I thought there was no crying in the United Forces," she said, voice muffled by his coat.

"There isn't. But I'm not in the Forces at the moment. Right now… I'm home."

Finally, he felt her arms raise, and she rested her hands on his back. "I missed you," she whispered.

"I missed you too, Linny."

"Bumi… If Katara can't restore my bending… I don't know what I'm going to do."

He lifted his head from her shoulder, but kept his arms around her. "I'll tell you what you're going to do," he said, wiping at a tear. "You're going to return and be Republic City's Chief of Police. Bending or not."

Lin pressed her lips together and looked away for a moment before saying, "You think I can do it?"

"I know you can." He reached out and touched a hand to her scarred cheek. "Lin, you can do anything. You're amazing like that."

For the first time in years, she saw that old familiar grin. And for a moment, her doubts were pacified.

"Well," she managed after a time, "if that's the case, then what are you doing here? You need to get back to the Forces. You have a job to do." Lin stepped back and pointed across the bay toward the city. "You need to get those Equalists out of my city."

His grin widened. She was back.

"Yes ma'am," he said, in as serious a tone he could manage while smiling. He saluted her the way he would an Admiral. She saluted him in return. Her eyes had calmed somewhat; they still showed uncertainty, but this was overridden by her normal determination coming through.

"Excuse me." Both Lin and Bumi dropped their salutes and turned to look at the source of the voice. An Acolyte stood a few feet away, now saying, "Miss Bei Fong? The bison is ready, and Master Tenzin wanted to know if you would be joining them on the journey."

Without having to look at Bumi for reassurance, Lin said, "Tell Tenzin I'll be there in a moment." The Acolyte nodded and left.

Lin looked at Bumi again to say, "Commander, I expect any and all Equalist related threats to be eliminated by the time I return."

"I can assure you that it will be so," he said, adopting his formal military tone used for the Forces. "And in the meantime, I shall eagerly await your home-coming."

They nodded at one another, and Bumi watched her walk away. He breathed a sigh. He had been so frightened coming over. He hadn't wanted to see her, weakened as she was. But he'd been wrong. Nothing could make Lin weak. She could be damaged of course - but never broken.

As he watched them leave atop Oogi a few hours later, both looked out toward the horizon. All any of them could do was hope that Katara would be able to offer a cure. And if she didn't, then life would have to press on, as it always had. But now Lin was more sure than ever that she could survive without her bending. And her mind, that meant Bumi's supposed debt to her was paid.

* * *

**Props go to Guest reviewer Panic for this idea. It's a little rushed, but I hope you guys like it anyway!**

**Also, to Guest reviewer Heyheyhey, I actually already knew about the leaked episodes. I just wanted to be able to experience the episode for the first time in a language I could understand, that way it wouldn't be ruined by me having to struggle through translation issues. But thank you for trying to help my wait! Unfortunately, I'm just going to have to wait for the English version to air on Friday. **


	9. Poor Tenzin

"Wait," Tenzin held up a hand to interrupt his wife, "Bumi invited _who_ to dinner?"

Pema shook her head as she bounced her young son in her arms. "Honestly dear, don't you listen? I said he invited Lin."

"_Lin?_"

"Yes, Lin. You know, Republic City's Chief of Police, your ex-girlfriend, your friend, Lin Bei Fong?"

"I know who Lin is, Pema," Tenzin said, exasperated by his wife's sarcasm. "I just don't understand why Bumi is inviting her to dinner."

Pema switched Rohan from one arm to the other. "I don't see a problem with it. After all, Lin's a friend of the family."

Tenzin hummed and reached out to take his youngest son. He held Rohan and chucked him under the chin, while thinking. His elder brother had spent an awful lot of time with the Police Chief lately, and it made him feel uncomfortable. Why, he couldn't say. It was none of his business who either of them chose to associate with. He knew this, yet it irked him when he saw the two standing off by themselves, Bumi working to make Lin smile.

"_They're just having a good time, like they did when we were kids," _he told himself. "_It's probably nothing."_

Later that evening, Tenzin, Pema holding Rohan, Ikki, Meelo, Jinora, Kya and Korra sat around the dinner table as Bumi came in, Lin following close behind.

"Hey, Bei Fong," Korra greeted the Chief casually. "What's up? Something going on?"

"No," the metalbender replied as she took the place next to Bumi. "The Spirit Bender invited me to dinner."

The Avatar arched her eyebrow. "Spirit Bender?"

Lin gave a wry smile. "He took me to the park and tried to show me how his flute playing "attracts and soothes" spirits."

"Did it work?"

"If you call getting attacked by a goosemonkey spirit successful, then yes."

"Hey," Bumi said, pointing his chopsticks at the two women, "I'm telling you it would've worked. How was I supposed to know that my playing was an insult in its language?"

Tenzin spoke up, "Perhaps you should've just left the spirit alone?"

Bumi turned his head to give his brother an annoyed look. "Well, excuse me for trying to share my hobbies with others."

Tenzin shook his head and muttered, "Hobbies…"

"So Bumi," Kya said as she helped Meelo keep track of his rolling peas, "how are things? It's like we never see you anymore. "

The commander shrugged. "I'm doing good, sis. I've just been busy is all."

"Busy with what?" Ikki asked. "Like 'grown ups doing boring things' busy, or 'having fun' busy?"

Bumi gave his youngest niece a grin and said, "'Having _lots _of fun' busy."

Tenzin noticed that while his brother was talking his hand slipped beneath the table. The airbender raised an eyebrow. As the wild-man launched into a story from his days in the United Forces, the younger brother dropped his chopstick and leaned over to pick it up. From his new position, he could see where Bumi's hand had gone: it was resting on Lin's thigh, the thumb massaging her leg slowly.

Tenzin's jaw dropped and his face turned purple with shock. Immediately he sat up. He studied Lin's face to see how she would react to this. His surprise increased when he saw that she wasn't, in fact, reacting to her leg being groped, and was instead engaging in a mild argument with Korra.

"_What...what...what...whatwhatwhat...WHAT?"_

Determined to figure out what was going on, Tenzin inconspicuously punched his brother beneath the table. Bumi grunted and turned away from his conversation to narrow his eyes at the airbender. "What?" he whispered.

"What are you doing?" Tenzin whispered in reply.

Bumi crinkled his eyebrows in confusion, to which Tenzin gestured toward his brother's hand. The commander looked to where the tattooed man was gesturing and realization went across his face. He carefully removed his hand from Lin's leg and moved it to her shoulder.

"Hey guys," Bumi spoke up, interrupting the various conversations going on at the table. "There's actually something I'd like to share with you." He looked at Lin for approval and, though she seemed somewhat surprised, the metalbender shrugged in concession. Bumi turned back to the group and, with a grin, said, "Ladies and gentleman, I am proud to tell you that Lin and I are dating."

No one reacted for a moment. Then chaos broke out.

"WHAT?" Meelo cried, seeming indignant.

"OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH UNCLE BUMI!" Ikki shouted, clearly overjoyed.

"I know it's premeditated, but does this mean you're going to be our aunt?" Jinora asked Lin, looking hopeful.

Kya clapped her hands and squealed with delight. "I knew it," she said.

"Wait," Korra said, raising her hands for quiet. "So you two are _dating_?"

Bei Fong sipped her tea and asked, "Did he stutter?"

The Avatar burst out laughing, pointing at Lin as if the metalbender might still be joking. "That's so great! The wild man and the killjoy!"

Lin grimaced at her young friend. "It's not that funny."

Korra's laughter settled to a low chuckle as she said, "What do you do for dates? Go to the circus and then shut it down for code violations?" To that Lin tossed a hand in the air, giving up as the Avatar's laughter continued.

"Well," Pema spoke up, "I think that's great."

Lin turned to the housewife and gave her a questioning look. "Oh really?"

"Yes, of course! If Bumi's mood lately is any indication, the two of you really make each other happy. And isn't that what's most important?"

Unsure of what to say, Lin just murmured something that sounded like an agreement. Bumi wrapped an arm around his girlfriend, looking pleased.

Tenzin didn't look pleased, however. He looked angry. Very, very angry. While Meelo complained about "Losing another bachelor to the enemy," the tattooed master turned to his wife and said, "I'd appreciate it if you could take the children out of the room." He turned a glare on the couple. "I need to talk to Lin and Bumi. Alone."

The pair shared a look of confusion before looking back at Tenzin while Kya and Pema rounded up the kids and Korra headed to the training yard for some night practice, still chuckling to herself.

Once the room was cleared, Tenzin crossed his arms over his chest and asked, "How long?"

Bumi thought a moment before replying, "A little over three months; maybe longer, because-."

"_Three months? _What is _wrong_ with the two of you?"

His question made Bumi stare back at him, still confused. Lin, however, got mad. "What kind of question is that? We've done nothing wrong."

"Nothing wrong?" Tenzin sputtered, his face turning red. "You sneak around for months, doing spirits knows what behind our backs and you claim to have done nothing wrong?"

Bumi rubbed the back of his neck. "Well…yeah. I mean, Tenz, it's not like we kept it a secret to spite you or anything-."

"I knew you would do this," Lin interrupted her boyfriend to rage at her ex. "I knew you wouldn't be able to stand the thought that Bumi and I could be happy together."

Tenzin snapped back, "How _could_ you be happy together? You're complete opposites, you have nothing in common!" He put his palms up as if he was trying to reason with crazy people.

The wild man shook his head at his brother. "That's not true. We have plenty of things in common: we're dedicated to keeping people safe, we're loyal, we both have _annoying_ younger siblings." On the last one he gave Tenzin a pointed stare.

"Oh sure," Tenzin said, "just call me annoying. You're the ones who started it, but you're turning it around on me. What else can I expect from a pair that would betray me like this?" At this point the man was ranting. "It's not good enough that I already have a complicated relationship with the two of you! No, you had to go and team up against me!"

Bumi quit glaring long enough to look over at his girlfriend. Lin had lost her angry expression and looked confused once more. The commander shared the look and turned back to his brother. "Tenzin? Is that what you think this is?"

The wild man reached over and put a hand on his brother's shoulder. With sincerity in his light blue eyes, Bumi said, "Little brother, we'd never try to do anything like that to you. Lin and I both care about you a lot."

"Of course," Lin said, getting up and going around the table. She sat next to her former boyfriend, and she too put a hand on his shoulder. "Just because Bumi and I are dating doesn't mean this is going to change how we feel about you."

Tenzin was quiet for a moment, looking down at his hands. Then he said, "I know… I know I shouldn't be this upset but…" He looked up at his brother. "You were away in the Forces for so long. We never talked and we got so distant…" He turned to Lin. "And you… Lin we only just started being friends again after SO many years of not talking."

The airbender, now in a state of vulnerability reached up and took their hands. "I'm just afraid that, if something happened where I should lose one of you, I'd lose the other one as well."

"Aw, Tenz, you'll never lose us," Bumi said.

"Bumi's right," Lin said. "We're not going to just disappear on you."

"And just because we love each other," Bumi said, reaching his free hand out to take Lin's, "doesn't mean we're going to stop loving you."

Tenzin, sniffed, overcome by emotion. "Oh, you guys… I love you both!"

"Come here, buddy," Bumi said, wrapping his brother in a big bear hug. He gestured for Lin to join, but she just raised a hand and mouthed, "I'm good."

After a couple of minutes the two brothers pulled back, looking refreshed.

"You okay, now?" Bumi asked.

"Yes," Tenzin said, having collected himself. "I'm okay. And I'm sorry I got worked up." He looked back and forth between the pair. "If the two you are happy, then I can't say I have any more objections."

"Good," Lin said. "I'm glad we talked about this," she added as she stood up.

"Yeah," Bumi agreed, standing up as well. "I think this is something that's needed addressed for a while."

Tenzin stood with them. "Yes, I think so too."

"Well," Bumi said, leading the way to the door, "I'm going to take Lin home. See you in the morning, Tenzin."

"Yes, see you later," Lin said, following him out.

"Good-bye," Tenzin called after them. As a joke he added, "Don't worry about hurrying back."

Bumi laughed good-naturedly as he and Lin exited the building and made their way down to the port. While they waited for the ferry, Lin turned to her boyfriend and asked, "When were you planning on telling him that we're moving in together?"

Bumi wrapped an arm around his girlfriend and said, "Well, Hun, we're going to have to take this one slow and easy. So either we wait two weeks or until he starts asking where my furniture is disappearing to."

* * *

**Some of you asked about Korra, Pema, and Tenzin's reactions, so here you go. Tenzin's got a little silly at the end. Hope you guys like it!**


	10. Beach Wars

"Go Uncle Bumi, go!"

The retired commander peered down into the water where his niece, Ikki, was floating with her brother and sister. He grinned down at them and took a few steps back before taking a running leap off of the rock.

"WAHOO!" the wild man shouted as he did a cannonball dive into the water. The giant wave he produced washed over the kids, causing them to laugh as their uncle broke the surface, coughing water.

"How was that?" he asked them, smoothing back his now drenched hair.

"I give it a ten," Jinora said.

"No," Meelo interjected, "eight!"

"Why only eight?" Bumi asked, lifting Meelo out of the water.

The boy tugged on his uncle's beard and said, "'Cause you didn't do the backflip!"

"Well in that case, I'll be sure to do it next time," the commander assured Meelo as he untangled the boy's fingers from his beard.

From the beach, Bumi heard his sister scoffing. "Yeah, right," Kya called. "You couldn't do a backflip to save your life."

Bumi stood up in the water to shout back, "I'm sorry, I can't hear you. Maybe if you actually got in the water, little Miss Waterbender."

"Hey, just because I bend it doesn't mean I want to be in it all the time."

While Tenzin trained with Korra, Pema had decided that she needed a break. So Bumi and Kya had decided to take the kids down to the water for a quick swim so that they could cool off on this ridiculously hot day. What they hadn't expected was for Lin Bei Fong to show up.

"Hello Kya," the Police Chief greeted her old friend. Kya turned to look at Lin, who was wearing a white tank top and a thin jacket and not her usual armor.

"Hey Lin," Kya greeted her in return. "What are you doing here?"

"I got off work early. Not much going on today, so I thought I'd drop by and see how everyone's doing."

"Really? How _everyone's _doing?" Kya questioned. "Or just how certain bearded adults are doing?"

Lin's cheeks turned pink as she frowned and said, "What are you implying?" She made it a point to _not _look at the water.

Kya chuckled and lay back as she said, "Let's just say I'm not talking about Tenzin."

The metalbender let out a frustrated grunt before stealing a glance at Bumi and the kids as they splashed around in the water. The wild man had on only shorts and his hair was slick with water that was also running down his body and Lin was _definitely not_ staring.

"So," Kya interrupted Lin's thoughts, "do you mind if I ask: who wears a jacket on a day as hot as this?"

"Someone who inherited ridiculously light skin and doesn't want to go in tomorrow sunburnt," Lin replied.

"And that is why Water Tribe skin is the best," Kya boasted her darker complexion.

"Hey Aunt Lin!" Ikki shouted from the water. "Come here!"

Lin's mouth twitched at the title the kids had decided to give her. She wasn't entirely comfortable with it, for obvious reasons, but she wasn't sure what to say to make them stop so it endured. At Ikki's beckoning, she got up and walked over to the water's edge. Once there Jinora asked, "Don't you want to swim with us?"

All three kids gave her huge, cheesy grins. Lin shook her head in return.

"No thanks, kids. I'm just fine sitting over there with Kya."

"TOO BAD!" Meelo shouted and the three kids dove farther out in the water. Lin narrowed her eyes in confusion before realizing that Bumi was missing. Just as she turned to look for him, a huge blast of air hit her and launched the chief into the water.

Lin sat up, drenched from head to toe. She looked at the beach where Bumi stood, laughing fit to burst. She'd been had: the kids had distracted her to give their uncle the chance to hit her with a blast of his new airbending.

"I always knew the people on the police force were _all wet_," Bumi howled, still laughing as Lin stood up and smoothed her dripping hair back.

"Well, well," she murmured as she made her way back to the shore, "I see you haven't lost your sense of humor, Commander."

"Sure haven't, Linny," Bumi taunted, his arms crossed smugly over his chest, not wanting to give her the satisfaction of seeing him backing down. Truth be told, he was a little unnerved at the sight of a dripping Lin Bei Fong walking toward him slowly, her green eyes piercing, her wet clothes clinging to her body. It was both the scariest and sexiest thing he'd seen in a while.

"Yes," she said coolly as she reached the sand, "very funny."

Bumi let out a small, "Uh huh," and started backing away from her.

"So funny that I might just have to play along."

"Oh really?" the wild man asked, giving her a small, frightened grin.

"Yes. Let's play a game I call, Crime and Punishment. You already did the Crime, so," she paused as she slipped her dripping jacket off, "now you get the Punishment."

Before Bumi could even think about making a break for it, Lin wrapped one end of the jacket around her hand and swung the other at him like a whip. The tip struck his bare chest and left a red welt.

"YOWCH!" He jumped in the air, turned and ran across the narrow beach, Lin following close behind, snapping her jacket at him. As he ran Bumi regretted all the wet towel wars he'd involved her in when they were kids. He'd taught her too well.

Behind him he could hear the kids shouting, "Run, Uncle Bumi, run!" and "Go, Aunt Lin, Go!" while Kya just sat in the sand, cackling at them both.

Terrified and running out of options, Bumi whirled around mid-stride. Caught unaware, Lin ran into him, giving Bumi the opportunity to grab one end of the jacket. He tried to pull it away but Lin held on tight and the two started fighting over it.

"Bumi, you're going to rip it!"

"No! Not until you stop hitting me with it!"

"WAIT!"

At this cry the two adults paused, still holding the jacket as Meelo ran over and drew a line in the sand between them. "Okay, now you can go," the boy said, and the two resumed their tug-of-war.

"Who do you think is going to win Aunt Kya?" Ikki asked.

"I'm not sure, but my money's on Lin."

As if on cue, Bumi stumbled forward over the line and hit his knees. He immediately began begging for mercy.

"Oh please, oh please, oh please Lin, I was only trying to have fun!"

Lin calmly slid her jacket back on to cover her near-see-through tank top while he continued to beg. After letting him grovel for a moment she finally slapped a hand over his mouth and leaned over to whisper in his ear. Bumi's eyes widened as she spoke.

"What are they saying?" Meelo asked.

Jinora watched as the two broke apart to stare at the four onlookers. Then the pair grinned. "I think they said that we should - run!"

Suddenly the three kids and Kya were running as Bumi used airbending to propel huge splashes of water at them while Lin used her own bending to hurl sand at them. The sand stuck to their wet clothes and bodies, getting in the most difficult to clean places.

Bumi laughed as he watched their victims scamper up the stairs, particularly at the sight of his now dripping sister. He turned to his still damp partner and said, "Not bad, Lin."

"Not bad, yourself Commander," she replied as she threw an arm around his neck. "You know I'm still mad at you, right?"

"I figured as much. So when can I expect the rest of my payback?"

Lin gave him a smile that sent a frightened chill down his spine. The officer leaned in close and said, "When you least expect it."

"Speaking of which," Bumi said looking back at the stairs, "it looks like they've come back for more."

Lin quickly used her bending to build a sand fort to defend themselves against the returned enemies, who now had the Avatar among their ranks.

"Hey Lin," Bumi said while weighing their chances of coming out of the battle unscathed. "If we somehow manage to win this thing, will you go out with me for drinks tonight?"

"Bumi, if we lose to these punks, I'm going to _need_ a drink."

* * *

**To Panic: I thank you for and welcome suggestions, though I reserve the right not to use them, or to save them until I see fit to use them. (So basically if you give me one, don't expect me to **_**immediately **_**use it. But I do thank you either way!)**

**To Guest: You are quite welcome! I do these frequent updates because I know how annoying it can get waiting for one of your favorite fanfics to get updated. To be honest, updating this often is a bit stressful as I'm already pretty busy, so it's nice to get some recognition for it!**

**To Everyone else: Thank you so much for all the reviews, and I'm happy to announce this fic just passed 1,000 views after only being out a week! I don't know if that's a common occurrence, but it's never happened to me before, so thank you! Hope you enjoy this one too. (For some reason it's on the beach again. Go figure.)**


	11. Goodbyes are Hard

"Do you have socks?"

"Yes, Mom."

"Your toothbrush?"

"Yes, Mom."

"Okay, do you have your papers ready?"

"They're already filed, Mom."

"Do you have clean underwear? You know how important it is to have clean-

"_Mom!_ I'm fine! I've been packed and ready to go for the last two weeks."

Katara raised her hands in submission saying, "Alright, alright, I'm sorry! I knowing I'm being the overbearing mother, but it's just kind of hard you know? I mean… Well…"

Bumi looked up from his breakfast to look at his mother. She was standing by the sink and wringing her hands, trying to smile but failing. Immediately, the twenty-three-year old pushed his bowl aside, stood up, and went to hug her. "It's okay, Mom."

"I just can't believe my baby is leaving," she whimpered into his shoulder.

Bumi smiled as he said, "I'm not leaving forever."

"Oh, but it feels like forever."

They pulled apart and Katara brushed a tear from her cheek, and gave her eldest child a sad, sweet smile. "But I'm so proud of you."

Bumi said as he cleared his place, "I'm proud of me too! Can't you just see it? Recruit today, Captain tomorrow!"

"As if they'd ever make you a Captain," Tenzin scoffed as he entered the room, head freshly shaved.

"Yeah," Kya said as they joined them, "you'll be lucky to get promoted at all. I can just picture it: you, eighty years old, still swabbing the decks."

The two laughed at their jokes and Bumi rolled his eyes. "You two are just making jokes because you know you're going to miss me," he said.

"Miss you?" Kya walked over to him. "Why on Earth would we miss you?" She asked it like an honest question, but still smiled and hugged her brother.

"Ha ha," Bumi said sarcastically. "You're all so hilarious. If you'll excuse me, I need to get to the docks before they decide to leave me behind." He looked over at his mother and asked quietly, "Is Dad gonna be there?"

"Oh, Honey, we're _all _going to be there," Katara assured him. "Even your Uncle Sokka is coming to see you off." Bumi didn't miss the way she avoided giving him a direct answer.

"Okay," he said. "I'll see you guys there."

Across the bay, in a house in the center of Republic City, Lin Bei Fong was about to kill her sister.

"Su!" Lin shouted as she banged her fists against the bathroom door. "Hurry up!"

Her pre-teen sister's only reply was to increase the volume of her humming while she slowly brushed her hair. Lin thumped her head against the bathroom door and groaned. "_Please!_ Just let me in! I have somewhere to be!"

After five more agonizing minutes Su opened the door and stepped out, beaming at her sister.

"You knocked?"

Not in the mood, Lin shoved her aside and ran into the bathroom, slamming the door shut.

"Brat," she huffed.

Normally she wouldn't be this stressed about her appearance. Normally she would run a comb through her hair and be out the door in seconds. But today was different. Today she had to look perfect.

Because today she would be saying a goodbye. It was going to be a damn hard one, too.

She made quick work of things: she brushed her hair and teeth, rubbed lotion on her face and smeared on lip balm. Against her better judgement, she attempted to put on mascara and soon found herself taking it right back off.

"Come on, come on," she muttered, straightening out her shirt. She'd gone with the usual green with black pants and a simple jacket. She didn't want to look _too _fancy; but somehow it wasn't enough. Lin glanced around the bathroom and spotted the small jewelry box she and Su shared with Toph. Then she got an idea. A wonderfully awful idea.

"Mother, forgive me," she whispered as she reached into the box and pulled out a silver chain with an emerald on the end. She fastened it about her neck, closed her jacket and ran out of the bathroom.

"Good luck with your boyfriend!" Su shouted as Lin slammed the front door.

"Super brat," Lin muttered to herself as she sprinted down the street. Bumi wasn't her boyfriend. He never would be, as far as she could see. From her perspective, they just weren't a fit, not that way. That and the age difference had kept her from ever confessing to the childhood crush she'd once harbored for the Avatar's wild child of a son. As they'd aged, she'd let the feelings she had for him fall dormant.

But now - he was leaving. Not for good of course, but it might as well be. Lin had met enough soldiers to know that once you were in the United Forces, you stayed. Bumi wouldn't be able to visit when he wanted, if he managed to visit at all. So, even though they had drifted apart in recent years as he became distant and she started spending more time with Tenzin, the metalbender couldn't let him leave without saying goodbye properly.

She made it to the port in record time and jogged down the boardwalk. The United Forces ship was easy to spot and she made a beeline for it through the crowd. Lin could see him from several yards away, talking to a few fellow recruits.

As she made her way towards him, he turned around. It was as if he had sensed her. Bumi grinned as she walked up to him, out of breath and panting. She undid her jacket and the soon-to-be sailor whistled.

"Nice bling ya got there. So, did you come to see me off?"

"Yep," she managed.

Bumi gave her a minute to catch her wind again, and was unable to stop smiling. He was afraid Lin wasn't going to make it, but surprisingly she was the first one to show up. He told her this, and she gave him an incredulous look.

"You're kidding," she said. "After I ran all this way?"

"Well no one's gonna fault you for that. So, tell me," he said, wiggling an eyebrow suggestively, "why did you get here in such a hurry?"

Lin stood up straight finally and clasped her hands together. In a serious tone she said, "Because I can't believe you're doing this to me."

Bumi raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"Do you have any idea how much I'm going to miss you? With you gone and Sokka never around, how am I going to remember how to have fun?"

He saw where Lin was going with this and shook his head good-naturedly. "Aw, Linny, you'll figure it out."

"It'll be hard."

"Yeah, well without you and Tenzin around I'm gonna have to rely on the Captain to keep me in check," he joked.

Lin chided him, "Don't do anything stupid. I hear they're not above throwing people overboard."

Bumi laughed out loud. "And you claim to have no sense of humor."

Lin smiled a little before going back to her serious expression. With determination in her voice she murmured, "Bumi… You know how in plays there's always that scene where the girl kisses the boy before he goes off to war?"

He said, "You mean like that?" He pointed his thumb at a few recruits that were giving their girlfriends sloppy goodbyes.

"Yeah," she said wrinkling her nose at the sight. "Like that. Except way less gross."

Yeah," he said, staring at his fellows. "I know what you mean; too bad I don't have a girl, huh?"

"Who says you don't?"

Bumi turned and looked at her. "What?"

"Look," she said, her cheeks turning pink, "it's not that I like you _that way_ or anything. At least not now. But I know I'm not going to get to see you for a long time, and that you're going to miss home a lot, and I was thinking about it last night and realized you don't have anyone to kiss so…" She gestured to herself, "Here I am."

The young man's eyes widened as he realized what Lin was saying. "You mean you'd do that?"

"Well yeah," she said, looking him in the eye. Her cheeks were bright red now. "Look, I know it's stupid and cheesy, but I just wanted your send-off to be special. And stupid and cheesy are usually the best ways to do that."

They fell silent for a moment, eyes locked, the wind ruffling their hair. Then Lin gathered her courage, got on her toes and pressed her lips to his. It only lasted a few seconds, but it was worth it, and as they broke apart, he gave her the sweetest grin she'd ever seen him wear.

"Lin…," Bumi said quietly, "I'm touched."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't start talking that way; you're twenty-five, not fifty-five." She ran her fingers through her hair as she said, "And don't think this means I like you or something stupid like that; because I already told you I don't."

The non-bender just shook his head, still smiling at her. "What am I gonna do without you Linny?"

"I was gonna ask you the same thing, Boomer."

The two stood on the dock staring in each other's eyes, smiling. They weren't the wild pair they'd once been as children. Now they were on separate paths, unlikely to intersect very often. But in that moment, they both knew, that the memories they shared would be some of those that they would always treasure.

Then, of course, they were interrupted by Sokka shouting down the boardwalk about how his nephew had better plan on writing home. Soon there was a crowd around Bumi as everyone, even Aang, his father, appeared to wish him well. Lin stepped back to give them space and lost sight of Bumi until it came time for him to walk the gangplank.

As the last one going aboard, he had time to stop and look back at his family and friends before getting on deck. He spied Lin and gave her a wink. She saluted him in return. And then he was on the ship, waving with all the others as they sailed out into Yue Bay, headed for the ocean.

Lin sighed, content as she watched the ship head for the horizon. She felt someone next to her and heard Tenzin ask, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said, swiping at a tear, hoping he didn't hear the break in her voice. "I just really hate goodbyes."

* * *

**To Panic: No need to explain; I get it. I also now understand that you're a mind reader, because a lot of your suggestions are ones that I've been toying with! Scary... Also, I believe you asked about their first kiss; well, here's one version. **

**To Gummi: I'm not sure if I want to write my version of that on here. As for my opinion? For some reason I got the feeling that she went into hiding for a while. Not because she was weakened, but so as to wait and listen for the right time to strike out. Neutral Jing for the win! Plus she probably needed to recuperate; as we've seen, having your bending removed takes a lot out of a person.**

**To Linumi: Yes, yes, join the side of Linumi for we have much fluff and cookies! (Wait... We have cookies right guys? Hey, somebody, get on that!)**

**To So Cute :Fear not, cute one. There will be fight.**

**As for all of you: THAAANK YOU! You are all as awesome as ever, and I hope this chapter meets your expectations!**


	12. Worthless

"Bumi, focus!" Tenzin shouted for what felt like the thousandth time. And, for the thousandth time, his insistence did nothing, and Bumi slammed into yet another spinning wooden gate. After a few more injuries, the contraption spit him out and the new airbender lay face-flat on the ground, groaning.

Even after weeks of training, Bumi still hadn't found himself able to control his newfound airbending. He'd tried everything, from meditation to the spinning gates to practice combat with the other new benders, but they all were none but futile attempts. Tenzin had arranged this evening training with his brother and trying to help him. Unfortunately, it wasn't going well.

His niece Jinora, the only one of her siblings that was awake this late, touched him gingerly on the shoulder and said, "It's okay Uncle Bumi. You really did do better that time."

Exhausted Bumi heaved himself up and began dusting off his jacket. As he did so, his brother shook his head and told him, "Bumi, if you just tried a little harder…"

"What?" the retired commander asked as he turned to Tenzin. "If I just tried a little harder it would all magically come to me?"

"All I'm asking," Tenzin replied, "is that you try."

Bumi turned to face him and, with his palms facing the sky insisted, "I _am_ trying!"

"Really? Because it looks to me like you're doing this the way you do everything else: jumping in without putting any real effort into it!"

"Well, forgive me for not being able to make a tornado in my first month of being an airbender!"

"I don't want a tornado!" Tenzin rolled his eyes at the thought.

"No," Bumi said, pointing his finger in accusation, "you just want me to be able to just wave my hands and bend whenever, the way you and the other newbies do. Well guess what: I wasn't born this way! This is something I got stuck with!"

"Whoa, hey," Korra said as she walked over to the group. She'd been planning on getting some airbending training in herself when she came upon the argument. "What's going on?"

"Hey," Bumi said turning to Korra, grinning suddenly. "Avatar! It took you a long time to start airbending, right?"

Korra groaned, "Ugh, yes, don't remind me. It took me sixteen years and three other elements before I could figure it out."

The wild man nodded and, with a pointed glance at his brother asked, "And did you finally get it because of Tenzin's incessant nagging?"

"Well, no," Korra admitted, evoking a glare from Tenzin. "I got it when I was fighting Amon. I saw that he was going to hurt Mako and it just… Came to me."

"See," Bumi announced mockingly, "the Avatar didn't learn airbending from these gates!"

Tenzin shook his head and admonishingly said, "Bumi, Korra _unlocked_ her bending through different methods, but that doesn't mean she instantly knew how to control it."

"Well, hey, I knew enough to fight off Amon," Korra pointed out.

"Korra, that is not the point!"

"I'll tell you what the point is," Bumi said, his frustration rising once more, "the point is that I'm done screwing around with these stupid gates, these stupid lessons, and these stupid lectures from my little brother."

"Well, if you're so fed up," Tenzin shouted, "then why don't you just go?"

"I will!"

"FINE!"

"FINE!"

The two brothers stomped off in different directions, seething, just as Chief Bei Fong arrived on the scene. "Korra, the we need to talk; I've got a spirit down at Headquarters that demanding he speak to the Avatar."

The Chief then noticed and looked back and forth between the two retreating figures and asked of Korra, "What's wrong with those two?"

"They're having mentoring issues," Korra answered for her.

"Uncle Bumi's trying really hard," Jinora said. "But he's just not having any luck. And Dad's trying to help, but he's not getting through."

Lin nodded. "Sounds about right." She looked at Korra. "Avatar, you go to Republic City and straighten out the spirit issue."

"Okay! You don't need to tell me twice," Korra said as she took up a nearby glider and jogged to catch a breeze before taking off.

Lin turned to Jinora and said, "Tell you what: why don't you try reasoning with your father while I talk to Bumi?"

"Do you think you could help him?" Jinora asked looking hopeful. Lin gave her a wry smile.

"Are you kidding?" she said. "I grew up with your Uncle Bumi; he was my friend. Trust me: I can handle it."

Jinora beamed. "Thanks Aunt Lin!" With a little wave she dashed off to talk to Tenzin. Lin walked in the other direction, until she reached the courtyard.

Bumi was standing by the fountain, trying desperately to airbend. He succeeded in a few small wind blasts from his fists, but that was all, and he'd been able to do that for weeks. After a few more attempts, the retired commander let his arms fall to his sides and hung his head, sighing. He sat down on the edge of the fountain, looking at his shoes.

"What's the point…?" Though he whispered, she was close enough now to hear him, and Lin decided it was time she got his attention.

"Bumi?"

The wild man nearly jumped out of his skin. He stood and whirled around to face her.

"Lin?" His eyes darted around the yard, trying not to look at the metalbender. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"I came to give Korra a message. And then when I saw you storm off, well…"

As she talked, she walked closer to him and sat on the fountain's edge where he'd been just a moment ago. The two of them had spent quite a bit of time together since he had returned to Republic City. They were really going quite fond of each other. However, since he'd gained his bending, they'd lost a bit of ground, something Lin intended to correct

"I'm not exactly an expert on feelings," she continued, "but I thought you might want to talk." The chief gestured for the spot next to her. Bumi eyed her carefully as he sat down, hands on his knees.

"Well?" Lin asked.

"Well what?"

"Well aren't you going to talk?"

"Talk? What's there to talk about? I'm the worst airbender in all of history: case closed."

"Well, if you're going to be dramatic about it."

Bumi swung himself back up on his feet, raised his hands to the sky and started ranting, "I spent my entire life, desperately wishing, hoping, _dreaming_ for this to happen to me! That there would be some miracle that the universe would award me a second chance at being what my father wanted me to be! And then what happened?"

He turned and grabbed Lin by the shoulders, making her lean back so that they could keep eye contact. In a whisper usually only heard coming out of psychopaths, he said, "I got it. I got it, Lin, it was mine, all mine. I could airbend. It was the _happiest_ moment of my life. BUT!"

The commander released his friend's shoulders and walked backward a few paces as he continued, "There's always a but, isn't there? Well there was one here for sure." Bumi threw his hands in the air. "I can't do it! No matter what I try I can only airbend for protection purposes, or for my little wind punches." He demonstrated a wind punch for emphasis. "And what use is that? Oh, I can shoo flies like an expert now! Big whoop…"

By now he was out of breath and his face was starting to fall. Worried, Lin got up and walked closer to where he was standing hunched over. The earthbender, slowly and (because of her being unused to physical affection) a bit awkwardly put an arm around him. She watched as he said, trembling, "You know what the worst part is?"

"What?" she murmured.

"It was a waste from the beginning. Even if I was a great airbender… Dad's gone. No matter what I do from here on out, it won't change the fact that he died knowing Tenzin was the last hope for the Air Nomads. And me?"

Lin watched as a small tear broke free and rolled down his cheek.

"I'm always gonna be the screw-up."

Upon hearing that admission, Lin couldn't take it anymore and grabbed her friend by the collar of his coat. "You listen to me, Commander," she demanded, giving him short by hard shake that seemed to wake him up. "I know you think you're the only one who knows what this is like…"

She spoke slowly, shuddering a bit from the night chill, as well as the memories his tearful speech had evoked.

"You may think you're the only disappointment around here, but you're not. Okay? I know what it's like; I know all of it! You work all day, every day, trying to get it right. You watch them and you practice. You practice until you feel like you have it, even though you know other people are getting it done twice as fast. When you can't do what they can do, you have to find something else that you pray will make up for it. You work your ass off, hoping, praying that they realize how hard it all is and maybe take away some of the burden."

She released his coat and stood back.

"But they don't. Because you missed the boat. And now there's someone newer, younger for them to focus on. And that's when you have to realize that you'll never get the admiration, the praise, _the love_ that you were dying for."

Bumi was shaking his head, unable to comprehend, unsure of what to say. Was Lin trying to make it worse? To turn this into her problem? All he was sure of was that he was still on the verge of sobbing, and it looked like Lin was close too.

But then, she made it make sense.

She grabbed him again, but this time more gently.

"But that doesn't mean it was in vain," she whispered to him, and as she continued her voice grew stronger. "Every ounce of effort was worth it. Because Bumi, it made us strong. And now that you can bend, you shouldn't want to impress your father anymore. He loved you, and that's all that matters at this point, even if he couldn't say it properly. So, what matters now is, that you can bend. And you are going to train, and work, until you can use it to the best of your ability, just like you always have."

She moved one hand down so that it rested over his heart.

"Like I have," she murmured, her green eyes glistening with tears unwilling to fall.

He shook his head. "Lin…"

The chief took in a deep breath, and by the time she was letting it out, he had her encased in his arms.

"I love you Lin," he whispered. "You're the best thing this old loser could ask for."

"You're not a loser," she said, voice muffled by his jacket. "You never were and you never will be."

After a few moments Lin pulled her face from his coat and the two stepped back a bit.

"Well," he said, breathing evenly again, "now what do we do?"

"Now, you try again. But this time I only want you worry about impressing one person: yourself."

"That, I might be able to manage."

For a moment he smiled at her and she returned it. Then he turned around and swept his arm out in front of himself. A wave of air went whooshing away from him.

Bumi grinned for a minute, but then looked back at Lin with a frown. "Where have you been the past few weeks? I could've used that pep talk ages ago!"

Lin rolled her eyes. "Just shut up and bend."

"_Same old Bumi,"_ she thought. Then she observed him as he went through the trained motions of an airbender. Unlike before, he wasn't straining and jabbing his limbs out, but instead flowing through him. HIs face was still determined but calmer.

"_Well, mostly the same…" _she decided.

She stayed and watched him train for several hours, not wanting to leave his side. And every time after that, when he practiced, Bumi didn't think of his father. He thought of himself, and Lin, facing the world together. It was a picture that he felt would one day come true.

* * *

**I believe a certain Panic ordered an insecure Bumi chapter, so here it is.**

**To TheEvilMelonLord: First of all: Your username is awesome. I am now jealous. Second: I try to update every night before midnight, a goal which has so far been successful. I don't know how long I'm going to do this, which is why I decided to make it one-shots; this way I can stop whenever I want without interrupting a story. If I did decide to make a chronological story (which I am considering) it will be separate from this. Third: Weird date night, huh? *strokes chin in thought* I shall see…**

**To Metalbender-Lin: YES! YES! *takes cookies and begins throwing them at Linzin shippers* EAT! EAT AND YOU SHALL SEE THE LIGHT! **

**(I am joking, of course. I have nothing personal against Linzin shippers.)**

**In other news: TOMORROW IS FRIDAY! WHOOOO!**


	13. Meeting the Pet

"I had a good time," Bumi said as he walked down the boardwalk with Lin after their date.

"So did I," Lin agreed. "I'd never thought going to a cemetery could be so fun."

"I'm telling you, it's the darkness that does it; it adds suspense."

As they neared the Temple Bumi asked, "Are you sure you don't want me to take you home?"

Lin shook her head. "Honestly Bumi, you're always the one taking me home. It's about time I returned the favor."

Bumi started a retort but was interrupted by a high-pitched trill and the sound of beating wings. He turned his head to see a certain dragonflybunny spirit fluttering toward him.

"Bum Ju!" Bumi opened his arms wide to greet his friend, and the little blue creature flew in and snuggled against his chest. "How's my favorite little bunny buddy, huh?" Bumi asked as he nuzzled Bum Ju's head.

The wild man turned to Lin and said, "He's a cutie, ain't he?"

Lin shrugged saying, "I suppose." The metalbender didn't dislike animal spirits, but at the same time she had no particular affinity for them. And though she'd been seeing Bumi for a while now, she was yet to form any sort of relationship with his little 'bunny buddy.'

"Bum Ju," Bumi said, holding the spirit out in front of him, "why don't you show Linny here your new trick?" He turned his head to Lin and said, "I taught him this cute way of saying hello."

Bumi pushed his little pet toward Lin. For a moment the two just stared at each other. Then Bum Ju flew screeching into Lin's face.

"_Scree!"_

"AH!" Lin cried as she dodged the little animal. She turned to Bumi and asked, flustered, "That's your idea of cute?"

Bumi shook his head, confused. "No, that's not it at all. Bum Ju, what's wrong with you?"

"_Scree…_" Bum Ju fluttered back to Bumi and rested on his shoulder. The commander looked at the spirit and wagged his finger. "We don't do that to people! Especially not to Daddy's girlfriend."

"Well," Lin said, "it looks as if you two have things to talk about, so I'll wish you goodnight."

"Oh, not just yet you're not," Bumi said with a sly smile. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Catching on, Lin grinned and the two started to lean in for a kiss.

"_SCREE!"_

The two stumbled back, spitting blue spirit hair. Bumi looked up at his friend, pointed his finger and said, "Bad boy, Bum Ju! BAD BOY!"

He turned to Lin and said, "I'm so sorry. He doesn't act this way normally."

"If that's the case," Lin replied, "then I think the problem is pretty clear: your pet hates me."

"Oh, no! He doesn't hate you! How could he? He doesn't even know you."

"Animals don't have to know a person," Lin said as she watched Bum Ju flit about above their heads. "They sense things. And he senses that he doesn't like me."

She shrugged and said, "Oh, who cares. He's just an animal," before walking back to the boardwalk.

Bumi frowned as she left and looked up at Bum Ju once more, sad. He loved Lin and he loved Bum Ju and the idea that the two didn't get along depressed him.

"You're gonna learn to love her!" he called.

"Scree!"

"OH! Don't you talk to me that way, Mister. You're in hot water as it is!"

The next day Lin was just getting out of work when Bumi came running down the street looking out of breath and terribly upset.

"Lin...help…" he panted as he reached her. He bent over, hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath.

"Bumi?" She immediately went back into Police Chief mode. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Bum Ju...missing...had a...fight...flew off…" He stood up finally and finished, "I can't find him anywhere."

Lin pressed her lips together. Missing animals wasn't her forte. But she was off duty now, and it was her Bumi's pet, so she decided to make an exception.

"When and where was the last time you saw him?"

"A couple of hours ago, on the island. But I looked everywhere there; every nook, every cranny, in his favorite spots and his not-favorite spots."

"Well, he can fly, so it's possible he left the island. Are there any places here in the city where he might want to go?"

"Let me think… Oh!" Bumi snapped his fingers. "The park! I take him there sometimes; he likes to see the turtleducks."

"Then that's where we're headed," Lin said, and she immediately set off, Bumi in tow. It was only a few blocks away, but the park was massive, meaning that the search wasn't near over.

"We'll check the pond first," Lin said as they entered through the gate. "If we don't find him there we'll start scouring the area." She decided not to mention that it was possible Bum Ju had already left the park. Or that something far worse could have happened to the little dragonflybunny; after all there were other spirits as well as animals that dwelt in the park which could easily do such a tiny thing harm.

They reached the pond and searched it, going through every single bush and even a few turtleduck nests, calling out the spirit's name, but to no avail.

"This is going to take forever," Bumi said, understandably stressed. "Let's split up to look for him."

"What?" Lin turned to him, incredulous. "You're kidding right?"

"No, I'm not kidding!"

"Bumi, if I found him he'd just fly off. It's better if we stay together."

"Lin, it's going to be dark soon. He's afraid of the dark! We have to find him _now_."

"But…"

"Lin," Bumi said, grabbing her firmly by the arms, "I'm sorry. I know the two of you don't like each other, but that's not what's important now.

She sighed. "You're right." He let go of her arms. "Okay. I'll take the other end of the park, and you can search this half. We'll meet in the center in an hour and if we don't have him by then… Well, we'll just have to go from there."

"Agreed," he said. Before she left he added, "Lin? Thanks for doing this."

She waved him off. "Don't thank me until we've found him."

With that she turned around and made the trek to the south end of the park. Along the way she searched the surrounding foliage for a fuzzy blue-green pelt, but saw nothing. She tried calling his name again, but again there wasn't an answer.

"This is why I don't have pets," she grumbled as she walked up a rock formation and scoured the area.

Then, from somewhere off to her right, she heard a short, high trill. Lin jumped down from the rock and started jogging in the direction the sound came from. She reached a cluster of overgrown bushes and heard the trill again.

"Bum Ju, is that you?" The metalbender pushed her way through the bushes until she reached a small clearing where Bum Ju sat on the ground, huddled.

"Bum Ju?" Lin started for the spirit when she heard a deep, throaty growl. Bum Ju let out another high trill as a huge tigermonkey spirit crawled out of the shadows at the other end of the clearing.

Lin's eyes went wide as she stood there, assessing this new enemy. After a moment, she set her gaze on the thing and whispered to the smaller spirit, "Bum Ju, get out of here."

Bum Ju stayed.

"Bum Ju! Go on! Fly away!"

But it was no use. Fear had taken over the little dragonfly-bunny and left him anchored to the ground, trembling. The tigermonkey spirit stalked closer, getting into a crouch. Lin wasn't sure which one of them it was going to strike at, but she knew for sure that it wouldn't be able to hurt either of them.

Just then the creature pounced, headed straight for Bum Ju.

_SNAP!_

"YOWCH!" The tigermonkey cried out. "What'd you do that for?"

Lin used her bending to reel in the metal cable that she'd used as a whip against the spirit. "For trying to hurt my boyfriend's pet."

"Pet?" The tigermonkey stood up on its hind-hands and scratched its head. "That thing's a pet?"

"Yes," Lin replied.

"Oh. I thought it was a snack."

"Why would you think that?"

"Because I consider any living creature smaller than me to be a snack. But if it's bigger, then it's a meal."

"Well," Lin said as she walked over and picked up Bum Ju, "this one is neither. And I'd appreciate it if you'd leave."

"Really? But he looks so tasty! Can't I just have one little bite -

_SNAP!_

"OW! Okay, okay, I'm going!"

The tigermonkey stalked off, grumbling something about humans not understanding dietary needs, and Lin looked down at Bum Ju.

"You're okay now. You don't need to hang on to me."

She attempted to let go of him, but the little spirit hung on tight, and snuggled up to her. Lin gave it a small smirk and said, "I see how it goes. When I save you, you love me, but any other day I'm evil, right?"

"Scree!"

"Lin?"

Woman and spirit turned to see Bumi stumbling out of the bushes. "Lin, did you… BUM JU!"

The wild man rushed over and hugged his little friend close and Bum Ju trilled happily.

"Aw, Lin," Bumi said as he cradled his pet, "you saved him!"

"Honey, you don't know the half of it."

Before she could recount what had happened, Bum Ju flew out of Bumi's arms and over to Lin. Once again the two stared at each other for a minute. But this time, Bum Ju flitted over to Lin's hand and dragged it up. Once her arm was elevated enough, Bum Ju wrapped his little paws around her hand and moved it up and down.

"Awww," Bumi cooed. "He's shaking hands!"

Lin smiled a little, surprised by the extent of the spirit's newfound affection for her.

"Is this what you wanted to show me the other night?"

"Yep! That's how he says hello. Hey, I guess this means he likes you now. So it's like you two are starting over." Bumi said this all with a smile, clearly overjoyed that the two had worked things out.

Bum Ju finished shaking and flew over to rest on Lin's shoulder.

"Yeah," Lin said, smiling as the dragonflybunny examined her. "I guess we are."

* * *

**To Linumi: That is an excellent plan! *throws cookie at Tenzin* That's for yelling at Meelo and Kya and not apologizing in _The Guide_!**

**To TheEvilMelonLord: Um... Did you die in the middle of a word? OR is com some slang I'm not familiar with? Not complaining, I'm just a bit concerned.**

**And as usual I thank everyone for their reviews! I'm glad to know that they make people happy! And yes, Linumi, it really does make me happy when I write them. Partly because this is the first time I've ever been able to write romance well, and partly because I've missed LoK so much and it feels great to celebrate Season 3 this way. Well, I'm off! Enjoy!**


	14. What are Friends For?

"Head's up!"

Lin jumped and felt her fingers brush against the ball. Unfortunately she was just short enough that she was unable to get a firm hold on it, and the ball sailed into the net behind her.

"Darn it," she said, kicking at the dirt.

"Ya gotta be quicker if you want to win, Linny," Bumi said. The teen gave her a friendly grin as he walked over to the net.

Lin tried to hide a smile as he picked the ball out of the net and walked back to his spot. Her mother was busy with work today (big surprise) and Tenzin and Kya were training with their parents, so Bumi had decided it was time that he and Lin spent some 'hung out' as he put it. So, they had left Suyin to be watched by an Acolyte and headed for the park.

Truth be told, Lin couldn't think of anything she'd rather be doing. At ten-years-old she was becoming a very proficient earthbender, and was thrilled that she would be able to show-off in front of Bumi.

"Remember," he called to her. "The point of the game is for you to use any advantage you have to get the ball into the net." He gestured with his thumb and finger to the nets behind him and her respectively. "So don't be afraid to bust a couple of bending moves."

"Oh, I'm not afraid," she called back. "I was trying to give you a head-start!"

Bumi's eyes narrowed and he yelled, "Them there's fighting words, little missy!"

"How about you quit talking and start balling?"

"Can do!"

Then in the blink of an eye, he was practically flying at her, dribbling the ball out in front and switching hands as he went. Lin grounded her feet and quickly estimated the time it would take for him to reach her. Once she was sure, she raised her foot and brought it down, hard. The ground beneath Bumi's feet instantly became cracked and uneven, and it sent the non-bender tripping. This gave Lin the opportunity to snatch the ball and run for the other end of the court.

The net was in her sights and to her joy it looked as if she would be able to have an easy score.

"Not so fast!"

Lin's eyes widened and she tried to skid to a halt when she Bumi was suddenly right in front of her. He'd leaped over her and land in a hand-stand to try to block her. Unfortunately for both, he'd landed too close and Lin didn't have time to stop. She ran into him with a resound _SMACK_ and the two fell to the ground, groaning.

Lin opened her eyes and realized her face was buried in Bumi's stomach. She scooted forward and sat up on his chest before turning her head to look at him. The two stared at each for a moment before they burst out laughing.

"What were you thinking?" she giggled.

"What can I say? I got desperate. I just didn't want to let you win."

The earthbender crawled off of her friend and the two sat on the ground for a while, casually talking while rolling the ball back and forth.

"Thanks for bringing me here today," she said.

"No problem, Linny," he replied. "You know I love hanging out with you."

She looked down as he rolled the ball back to her.

"Bumi," she said while picking at the ball, "do you think I'll ever be as good an earthbender as my mom?"

The teenager thought about this question for a moment. Lin rolled the ball back to him and he answered, "Well Lin, most people say that if you work hard enough you can do anything you put your mind to. But what they fail to mention is that sometimes you have to be born with a certain amount of skill to go with it."

Unsure about how that answered the question, Lin just muttered, "Um...Okay."

"But," Bumi said, rolling the ball to her again, "you don't need to worry about that. You're a great earthbender already. And we both know that you're gonna work your hardest to be as good as you can possibly be. So yeah; I think one of these days old Mother Bei Fong might just have some competition."

Then he flashed her that smile. It was the one where he showed all of his teeth and his light blue eyes lit up. As always, it made her insides feel funny and she looked down trying to hide her blush. Somehow Bumi's compliments always hit the target.

"Hey," he said, interrupting her struggling embarrassment, "I'm gonna go get some water, alright? Just wait for me here."

"Okay," she said. She watched as he got up and jogged off in search of a water fountain. She pulled the ball in and wrapped her limbs around it, sighing. Why couldn't she be cool like him?

Bumi wandered a bit before finally spotting a fountain. He walked over and started drinking. As he gulped down the stream of water, he heard footsteps behind him.

"Hey," a voice behind him said, "hurry up already!"

He recognized the voice and slowly, turned off the water wiped his mouth and turned to face a trio of poorly dressed teenagers. The two standing a ways back were about his age, while the one in the center was a few years younger. Once he'd turned around they recognized Bumi as well.

"Well, if it isn't the Avatar's kid," the one standing in the middle, the leader, said. "What brings you to the park on this fine day?"

"Lay off, Zolt," Bumi huffed. He tried to walk away but one of Zolt's friends, an earthbender, pushed him back into place.

"I asked you a question, scruffy."

"Minding my business. You might try it some time."

This time Bumi shoved the earthbender out of his way and headed back for the court. Once he'd reached it he realized that the trio had followed him. He turned around to see Zolt smirking at him.

"What do you want?" Bumi grunted.

"Cool it there, big Boomer. Me and my buddies just want to use the court to practice some bending. So, if you don't mind, we'd like you to clear out."

"Well, if you don't mind, I was here first, and I'm not done using it just yet. Could you maybe wait for a few minutes?"

The three looked at each other and then back at Bumi and started laughing. Bumi glared at them.

"I don't know what you're laughing at," he said, even though he knew full well.

"Did you hear that boys?" Zolt said in between laughs. "The non-bender wants to use the practice court. What are you gonna do, huh? Wave your arms around for a while and call it practice?"

"That's about all non-benders do," one of Zolt's cronies muttered.

Bumi growled, "You're wrong. Non-benders are capable of doing just as much as benders."

"Oh yeah?" Zolt asked. "Well, tell me buddy, can you do this?" With a flare, Zolt whipped out his hand and sent a huge fireblast straight for Bumi's feet. The non-bender had to jump out of the way to avoid being burned, something Zolt's friends found hilarious.

"Yous don't seem so capable to me," the firebender said with a smirk.

At this point Bumi was seething. He jabbed a finger in Zolt's face and said, "If benders are so great, then why are you and your gang stuck with stealing for every meal you eat while I live in Temple?"

That didn't go over well with the trio.

"I'll tell you why," Bumi continued, still angry. "Because it's not whether you can or can't bend; it's whether-

He didn't get the chance to finish. In the middle of his speech, Zolt's friend slammed his foot down and huge chunk of rock flew up and smacked Bumi in the jaw. The teen fell back and a hand flew to his face. He tasted blood.

"Not so tough when you're down, huh non-bender?" Zolt spat.

Bumi felt himself being lifted to his feet. Blearily he opened his eyes to see that the cronies were holding each of his arms while Zolt himself was standing in front of him, murder in his gaze.

"You're gonna regret insulting us," Zolt whispered. "I don't care if you are the Avatar's son; no non-bender is gonna talk to me that way!"

Zolt raised his fist and swung it at Bumi. Before the hit, Bumi shut his eyes praying for a miracle.

Then one came. Just before Zolt's fist made contact, a large rock flew in out of nowhere and hit the young thug in the chest, full force. With a loud grunt, Zolt hit the ground and his buddies turned to see where the rock had come from.

There stood Lin, holding a perfect stance saying, "I'm not a non-bender! Ya mind if _I_ talk to you that way?"

For a second the three thugs just stared at Lin, which was just long enough for Bumi to slip his arms out of their grips, jam his elbows into their stomachs and run over to Lin.

"Come on Linny," he said, grabbing her hand. But Lin refused to move, her eyes still fixed on the trio of bullies, all of them now on the ground holding injuries and glaring at the two of them.

"No," she said. "They can't talk to you that way."

And before Bumi could say another word to stop her, Lin had sent two more rocks hurdling at the assailants, while the third one was shot in the air. They landed in a heap, and Zolt was steaming. Before the firebender could get up, Lin bent a rocky barrier to encase them in. It wouldn't hold forever, but it was enough that she could march over to them, put her hands on her hips and tell them off.

"You three are just jerks! You don't use your bending to your advantage; you just use it to bully people. Good people who are good at a lot of things without having to use bending. Bumi is a better fighter and a better friend then you'll ever be!"

"Okay Lin," Bumi said nervously, watching the expression on Zolt's face as it grew angrier by the second. "I think they get the point."

He snatched their ball from nearby and grabbed her hand. As he was pulling her away she continued to rant, "And I'm a better bender than any of you will ever be! One day I'm gonna be a cop and throw you all in jail! Then you'll see!"

Bumi couldn't get her out of the park fast enough. When they hit the streets he said, "I think we should probably go tell your mom about this. I might need police protection after what just happened."

"Aw, they won't mess with you anymore, now that they know I'm looking out for you!"

"Oh yeah, speaking of which, _WHAT THE HELL?"_

Bumi stopped in the middle of the street to stare at Lin whose arm he was still gripping. "What were you thinking? Those guys could've killed us!"

"But you said I could do it."

"When did I say that?"

"You said that I could be a great earthbender some day if I work hard."

"Well, yeah, but that doesn't mean you can just beat up some thugs! That's how people get hurt: they get overconfident and overestimate their limits."

Lin scuffed her toe on the ground. "Oh. Sorry."

The two walked in silence for a moment as they headed for Police Headquarters, Bumi catching his breath after what they'd been through. Finally, he asked, "Why did you do that anyway?"

Lin shrugged, still looking down as she walked. "I just didn't want them to hurt you. And they made me mad, talking to you that way. You're one of my favorite people and you don't deserve that. And…"

"And what?"

"And I just didn't want them to win."

Bumi stopped again, but this time he didn't yell when he turned to Lin. This time he slowly smiled at her.

"You're the best, you know that, Linny?"

"Yeah, I know."

They started walking again and Bumi said, "Yep. You know I'm still mad at you for doing that right?"

"Yep."

"And that I'm gonna have to tell everyone about it?"

"Yep."

"And that I totally beat you at our game?"

"Hey, no you didn't! We never even got to finish."

"Well, I was ahead, so I win by default!"

"Bumi!"

"Lin!"

The two bickered playfully all the way to the Police Headquarters. Lin was reprimanded, naturally. But the look of gratitude and respect in Bumi's eyes after the incident would make her always feel it was worth the punishment. "After all," he would later say after he ran Tenzin off after an argument, as part of his repayment, "what are friends for?"

* * *

**For anyone who didn't catch it, Zolt is the leader of the Triple Threat Triad who got his bending taken in _The Revelation._ Since they're around the same age, it's my headcanon that he used to know Bumi and would push him around some.**

**To Atarah Derek: I agree; Lin's growth is great, especially since she wasn't focused on nearly enough in Season 2. It should make her a little easier to write too, now that's she not quite as gruff.**

**To Duskdog: About what you said about Bumi not being "adopted" yet, I agree, and that's another part of why I decided to start these. I got tired of only finding fics about him from before he actually became a character in Season 2. Just because he's not quite what we expected doesn't make him any less awesome. I'm happy to know that you and others think I'm portraying him well; that makes me so relieved!**

**To Carol: Maybe, if it's just the before and after. I can read (in the words of Duskdog) "overtly sexual" stuff, but the idea of writing and posting it makes me squeamish. But yeah, I can probably do some "cuteness and love". ;)**

**Yeah, so, THE NEW EPS WERE GREAT. And now that there are no more leaked episodes available, everyone's in the same boat now. So, let us sail to Friday! (Sorry this was kind of choppy. I wrote this_ late_. )**


	15. Scars

"Okay, how about that one?" Bumi asked, pointing to a jagged mark on Lin's calf. The police chief propped herself on her elbows and twisted her leg to see what he was referring to.

"Oh, that one? Let me think… Oh! That one was on-the-job. A waterbender nicked me with one of his flying icicles."

"Owch," Bumi sympathized.

"Eh, I subdued him two minutes later and it ended up being a nice clean booking, so I can't complain."

After an incredibly long day of work and training, Lin and Bumi had gotten home and crashed. For a while they'd just laid there, until Bumi broke the silence to brag about a new scar he'd recently gotten from his bending training - something to do with a runaway glider. Lin had countered by removing her armor down to her underclothes and displaying a scar on her hip she'd gotten at the Police Academy. So Bumi had gotten down to his shorts to show a row of gashes on his thigh that he'd gotten from United forces training, and so on.

"And then there's this one," she gestured to a round mark on her stomach. "Lead pipe."

He pointed to his shoulder, "Fire-fight."

"Mob fight."

"Spilt cup of tea."

"Runaway bullhog."

"Well," Bumi said, "I've got something that can top all of them!"

The retired commander lifted his left arm to show off a thin white line.

Lin raised an eyebrow at it. "Is that from a-?"

"Sword fight? Yep. It went in and barely missed my lung."

The chief sized up the scar. "You know," she said, "I think I might be able to match you with that one."

She raised her right and pushed her tank top up to show a similar scar, a bit lower on her ribcage.

"Well would you look at that," Bumi marveled.

"Yep. Knife fight in a bar; I was supposed to be off-duty so I didn't have my armor on."

"That'll get you. But hey, look at that. Now we match!"

The wild man leaned over so that their scars were touching and he twined their raised fingers. Bumi grinned at her. Then he narrowed his eyes and asked, "Is it weird that I find this fun?"

"Yes," Lin replied, "but then most of the things you do are weird."

The two put their arms down and leaned back, looking at their held hands.

"They're all stories about close calls. And we've had some _pretty_ close calls over the years," Lin murmured.

"Yeah," he agreed, "but then that's expected in our lines of work."

"Well, of course. And…"

"And what?" he asked, turning to her.

"And…" Lin slowly leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder. "And, I'm kind of glad that the next time one of us has a close call, the other one will be around."

Bumi's eyes widened. "Why, Chief Bei Fong! Are you implying that, perhaps, you _like _having me around?"

Lin bit her lip in thought. "Well…I do live with you voluntarily, so I think I might."

"Scars and all?"

"Scars and all."

Bumi gave her a sly grin as he reached over, slipped his arms around her and pulled her close and said, "Can I tell ya something?"

"What?" she asked.

"I happen to be of the opinion that scars are sexy."

She raised an eyebrow and met his gaze. "Oh really?"

"Yes. And you, my dear, are already quite a foxy woman, which makes it even better."

The wild man leaned over as he spoke and started gnawing on her neck. Lin tried but couldn't fully suppress a laugh.

"Bumi, we haven't even had dinner yet!"

"Forget food! We have memories to create!"

With a flourish he pulled her down onto the bed and started covering her face and neck with kisses, making her laugh harder.

"I'll do your neck and you can do my back," he mumbled into her collarbone.

Lin shook her head, looking at the ceiling while running her hands up and down his back. "What am I going to do with you, Commander?"

He moved his face up to meet her eyes and said sincerely, "Love me Chief. Love me through every close call."

A tiny smile came to her lips. "I can do that," she whispered, and pulled him in to kiss him.

* * *

**The writer refuses to disclose information about whether or not dinner was ever eaten that night.**

**A thank you to Panic for another idea on this one, though I altered it a bit by not setting before they started dating. Hope you like it anyway!**


	16. The Little Merman: Part 1, The Surface

**Alternate Universe chapter for the win! (I know it's a little early for an AU, but I felt inspired.)**

* * *

"Ha!" Bumi cried as he reached up and snagged the ball just as it was about to clear his head. "You two willl have to do better than that if you want to beat me!"

"Oh, come on," his sister called. "Just hit it back."

The young merman nodded and with a mighty swing of his fishy tail, he sent the ball hurdling back towards his opponents. Kya and Tenzin both reached for it, but only succeeded in knocking their heads together, allowing the ball to float past them and into the net.

"Wahoo!" the eldest cried. "And Bumi remains the undefeated tail-ball champion!"

His siblings rolled their eyes, unamused.

"Whatever," Tenzin said, "I need to go to training anyway. Those currents won't support themselves."

"Say hi to Dad for us," Kya told their brother as he swam off. She turned to Bumi and said, "I'm having fun, but I really need to go too. There's supposed to be a surface storm today, and Mom and the others are going to need help calming the reefs."

"Really? But we were having so much fun!" He tossed the ball from hand to hand, as if this would persuade her. But Kya just shook her head."

"Come off it, Bumi. You're twenty-four! It's about time you grew up and quit playing around all the time."

With that his sister left, headed in the opposite direction as Tenzin. Bumi sighed and floated down to sit on a rock. He scratched at the crimson scales that adorned his tail and sighed. It wasn't his fault he didn't take responsibility; at least it sort of wasn't. He hadn't been born with an Assignment like his siblings. While Tenzin had, like their father, been born with ability to manipulate the very water which they breathed, and Kya was able to soothe and heal the great reefs which surrounded their homes.

Bumi: nothing. Just nothing. He couldn't soothe the reefs, he couldn't make currents, he couldn't produce light and he couldn't shift the sands. In short, he was useless. And being useless meant that you often found yourself alone.

Well mostly alone; Bumi heard a whistle and turned to see his favorite sea-horseguppy swimming toward him.

"Hey Bum Ju!" he greeted the little fish.

The creature wiggled its tail and stretched its neck out, excited to see its friend.

"I can't tell you how glad I am to see you," the merman commented. Bum Ju nibbled at his brown hair as it floated in the current. Bumi reached up, took the little fish and cradled it in his arms. Little Bum Ju snuggled up against his friend's bare chest and burbled happily.

Bumi looked up at the surface as he lay back against the rock. "You know what buddy? One of these day's I might just leave the ocean." He chuckled to himself at the thought. He'd always been fascinated by the surface, and often sat and thought about visiting and meeting the strange creatures that dwelled above the waves.

"Yeah; I'll just go up to the surface and ask one of those air-breathers to give me a ride." He added, the humor drained from his voice, "Then maybe I'd have company."

Bum Ju whistled indignantly.

"Okay, okay, _more_ company. The kind that doesn't come around me looking for snacks."

As he spoke, a shadow passed over the pair, causing them both to look up. From where they sat the merman and his friend spied the outline of a ship trudging through the water.

Bumi stared at the bottom of the floating mass, and after a moment said, "I'm going up there."

He kicked his tail out and began gracefully propelling himself up through the water, Bum Ju following close behind, whistling nervously.

"Aw, calm down Bum Ju, I'm just gonna take a peek. I don't see what all the fuss is about anyway. It's not like I'm dumb enough to swim into one of their fish traps."

A few feet away, Bumi paused to muster his courage, and then dove upward.

As his head broke the surface, water streamed out of his hair and into his eyes. After a minute or two of adjusting to the differences in light and sound, he looked out at the horizon. Underwater the sun had always looked like a vague patch of light; here, in the open air, it was a perfect sphere and bright orange against the reddening sky. For his first sight above water, Bumi declared it to be the best one.

The he looked over to the ship.

It was huge and made purely of metal. And while similar in design to some of the sunken wooden ones that Bumi was familiar with, this ship was clearly built more for speed than for strength. Already he was having to swim to catch up with it.

As he swam he heard a whistle and looked over to see Bum Ju next to him. "Decided to join me, huh?"

"_Weep!"_

"Who could blame you? Anyway, I'm glad; I'd hate to have to do this on my own. Now, let's see if we can get a peek at these air-breathers."

Bumi swam around inspecting the ship, but found no way to board it. So he swam several yards out and looked back, hoping to spy a few of these strange creatures traipsing atop their craft.

Then, he saw a most unusual sight. It was an air-breather, to be sure. It had the trademark legs (though Bumi didn't understand how they could be called this; they looked nothing like lobster or crab legs). But it looked like a fish, for it wore a suit of scales.

"No," he muttered to himself. Not scales. It was...armor? Armor made of ship metal? It also seemed to be holding a long tube, which was also made of metal. Bumi strained to think of what this could be and recovered a vague memory of a similar tube in his uncle's archives. Sokka called it a 'spy-glass'.

But what did an air-breather have to spy on?

While entertaining the question, the merman observed a few other air-breathers approaching the metal-wearer. They seemed to converse for a few minutes before the metal-wearer sent them off with a wave of its arm. Giving orders. Then it was the leader.

"This is so cool," Bumi murmured to Bum Ju, beside him. "It's like I'm peering into their little bubble."

Currently, the merman was starting to feel a bit dry and took a moment to dunk his head and soak his gills. When he re-surfaced, he saw that the metal-wearer had set aside the glass and was now staring out toward the horizon, its black hair waving in the breeze.

"Wow," he whispered. A second later he felt Bum Ju nudging against him, but he ignored the fish.

"_Wish I could say hello,"_ Bumi thought. "_I bet they would be happy to meet a merperson."_

This led him to thinking that perhaps he _should _try to say hello.

Then he felt Bum Ju rubbing against him again.

"What?" Bumi turned to the fish, frustrated. But then he saw what the creature had tried to call to his attention.

There on the horizon stood another ship of metal, this one as black as the deepest ocean trenches. It was larger, and faster, as it was coming towards this ship at an alarming rate.

As the sun kissed the lip of the water, washing everything around in the same bloody crimson as his tail, Bumi looked at the ship he'd been following and whispered, "Uh oh."

* * *

**First part of what I'm planning to make a two or three parter. Lin's POV will be in the next one. Let me know what you think and whether I should wait a few chapters to continue this or not.**


	17. Date Night Race

"Bumi, how many time do I have to ask, where are we going?"

"Lin, how many times do I have to tell you to be patient?"

Lin groaned as she continued to follow Bumi up the stairwell of one of the tallest buildings in Republic City. While she didn't mind a good hike, the Chief was getting a bit fed up, especially since her boyfriend had refused to explain why they were doing this.

"Can you at least give me a hint?" she huffed as they reached yet another landing.

Bumi paused in thought before turning to her and saying very seriously, "No."

The metalbender rolled her eyes as she resumed following him.

At long last they reached the top of the stairs. As Bumi opened the door to the roof, a cold blast of wintry air hit her. She tightened the jacket which she wore over her armor as she stepped into the dark chill of the night. She looked out at the city, at all the lights glowing in the buildings and turned to her companion to ask, "Is this what you brought me to see?"

The commander waved his hand and said, "Not by a long shot."

Lin watched as he walked over to the edge of the roof and picked up a long wooden staff. He then released a catch to show that it wasn't just a staff, but a brand-new airbending staff and glider.

"You like it?" Bumi asked as Lin walked over to join him.

She nodded. "It's nice. I don't understand why you had to bring me to the top of a random building to show it to me, but it's nice."

"Ye of little faith," Bumi said as he turned to give her a grin. "Do you really think I'd ruin date night that way?"

"It wouldn't be the first time."

Bumi furrowed his brow. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means," Lin said, as she studied the skyline, "that some of your 'activities' can be a little...how do I put this? Extreme."

He considered this before replying, "Well we still have fun, don't we?"

"Well, yes," she grudgingly conceded.

"Yes! And we are going to have fun tonight. Because tonight, my dear, we race!"

It was Lin's turn to look confused. "What?"

"Race," Bumi repeated. He gestured toward the city and said, "Across town to Harmony Tower."

"Bumi," Lin said, her eyes widening, "are you crazy?"

"Yes, but that's not the point. Come on, Hun, it'll be fun!"

Lin held up a hand to silence him and said, "Let me get this straight. You want to race across town, you with your airbending?"

"Yes."

"And me with my metalbending?"

"Yes."

"To Harmony Tower, which is on the other side of the city."

"Yes."

"Over rooftops, past buildings, over and under bridges, through streets, in the middle of winter when its freezing cold and there is wind blowing in from every direction imaginable."

"Last answer same as the first."

"And you want to do this because…?"

He shrugged and fiddled with his new staff. "I thought it'd be fun. And afterwards the loser has to pay for tea at the first diner we find. I know it's dangerous, but what's wrong with living dangerously?"

Lin stood there for a minute, hands on her hips before asking, "Bumi, do you have your wallet?"

"Yeah, why?"

"You're going to need it. I plan to get cake with my tea."

Before the new airbender could say another word, the metalbender had shot one of her cables down to latch on to the terrace of a nearby building and leaped off the roof.

"Hey!" Bumi shouted after her as he readied his glider. "No fair head start!"

He took a running leap off the building, swung his legs up to support himself on the glider and before long he was sailing.

"WAAAAAHOOOO!"

The Commander laughed aloud as he sped through the air after his girlfriend. She'd gotten pretty far along with her head start, but at the moment the wind was in his favor. He caught up to her and watched as she swung by her cables from building to building, in rhythm. Up, swing, down, swing, up.

When she was level with him he called, "Not bad for an earthbender!"

As she swung down he heard her shout, "Not bad for an airbender!"

By leaning forward a bit he dipped down so that he was level with her again at the bottom of a swing, just skimming over several cars.

"You can't beat me Linny," he taunted playfully. "I've been training and I am a Glide Master!"

"Hey Glide Master," Lin called back, "you might want to watch where you're going!"

"Huh?"

Bumi looked ahead and gasped as he realized that his altitude had decreased and he was headed for a tunnel.

"BAD!"

With no other option, he dipped down to avoid slamming into the brick and found himself running along the top of a train.

"BADBADBADBADBADBADBADBADBAAAAAAAD!"

The train let out a loud whistle as it exited the tunnel. Bumi used his bending to rocket himself upwards and was soon back to gliding again, a bit shaken but more determined than ever to win.

Lin, far ahead by now, looked back to check and see if he was okay. She laughed to herself at the sight of him coming out of the tunnel; even as far off as she was, the Chief could tell that his hair was even messier than usual.

When he caught up to her she called, "What was that you said about winning?"

"What was that you said about looking ahead?" he asked, and propelled himself forward.

Lin followed him with her gaze and realized that they'd neared the bridge. Very near. Too near.

"Oh damn."

She swung her cable out and, as she'd rapidly predicted, it swung her down, close enough to the road that she had to pound her way over a few delivery trucks. A few moments later she was in the air again, having to endure Bumi's laughter.

Lin rolled her eyes and swung away from him. She landed on a rooftop, ran across and swung out again, this time on a separate line than him.

As they continued through the city, now and then one would glance through the spaces between buildings, see the other shooting past and smile.

Unfortunately the cold was getting to both of them, and as they got closer to Harmony Tower, Bumi angled over to her and yelled, "That cup of tea is sounding better by the second!"

"You have no idea!" She called. When she came back up she added, "Try wearing a suit of freezing metal!"

"No thanks. I'd rather win this race!"

With the Tower only a few blocks away, both of their competitive streaks kicked into overdrive. Bumi started to descend. Lin swung out again, latching on to the Tower's lattice-work. Bumi hopped atop his glider. Lin kicked off from a building to give her a boost.

_SMACK!_

Just as the two had their feet angled to land on the deck, they hit each other from the side and rolled over the railing in a groaning heap.

Lin grunted and asked, "Are you okay?"

"I can't feel my face," he said from where he lay flat on his stomach, "but otherwise, yeah. You?"

"I'll live."

They managed to sit up, supporting one another and looked around. Several couples, bundled up in winter-wear, were standing there staring at them. The pair wisely chose to ignore the looks and stood up.

"Well, since we're here," Bumi said, as he picked up his glider and looked around, "want to take a look at the city?"

"Bumi, I just experienced the entire city from a cable," Lin said, running her fingers through her iron-gray hair. "I've seen all I want to for the evening. And besides: you owe me tea."

"What? I won the race."

"Oh no you didn't."

"Oh yes I did."

This, naturally, set off a long round of bantering which lasted the climb down the tower and the walk to the diner.

"Alright, alright," Lin said as they entered the warm, dimly lit eatery. "What's say we split the check?"

"What's say you split that cake?"

"Fine," she said as they sat a small table in the corner. After the waitress brought the food out, Bumi sipped his tea, looking thoughtful.

"So," he started, "did you have a good time?"

Lin cut their cake in half and said, "Yes."

"Not too extreme?"

"Oh, it was extreme alright," she said looking up. "But…"

She held up a piece of cake and popped it into his mouth before adding, "I think I'm getting used to it.

Bumi smiled around his chewing. Once he swallowed he said, "Well, it's your turn now, so what are we gonna do next week?"

Lin folded her hands and with a sly grin said, "I'm not telling."

"Won't you give me a hint?"

"No."

"Sounds perfect."

Despite how cheesy it was, the two held hands atop the table as they spent the rest of the evening talking and drinking tea. They silently agreed that this week's date night had been a major success.

* * *

**In response to TheEvilMelonLord's request for a weird date. I actually plan to do more odd dates later on. Also, in answer to your question, I was writing the AU chapter to see if I could put the two characters in a different world/timeline and A) still get their characterization write in such a drastically different setting and B) still have them realistically fall for each other. Also, I am incredibly sorry to hear about your computer! As a fellow online watcher I understand how frustrating that is. **

**Speaking of which, for anyone who enjoyed the last chapter, I've decided to go ahead and make it its own separate fic. I'll leave the last chapter up, repost it separately and then continue from there. That way it won't interrupt my one-shots and people who aren't partial to AUs aren't stuck reading them.**

**As always, I enjoy all reviews, even if they're just one-liners. And I hope _you guys_ enjoy this one. **


	18. Lies, Cheating and Babysitting

"What the flameo do you want, Bumi?"

Bumi frowned as he stepped into her office and shut the door. "Well, gee, if you're gonna be that way…"

"I don't have time for any of your nonsense today," Chief Bei Fong snapped as she got up to file some papers. "I'm incredibly busy. So whatever it is, it can wait."

"Oh, come on Lin, I just wanted to ask you a question," the Commander said as he plopped down in the chair opposite the Chief's desk.

Bei Fong rolled her eyes as she sat down. "Fine," she said as she pulled more papers toward her, "but whatever it is you'll have to talk while I work."

"That's okay," Bumi said, leaning back to make himself comfortable. "I just had a favor I wanted to ask you."

"And what's that?" Lin was signing documents and only half listening, which put her way off guard when he asked,

"Will you help me babysit tonight?"

A huge scratch of ink marred the signature line on the document as Lin jerked her head to see if she'd heard right.

"What?"

"Tenzin and Pema are going out, the Avatar and her friends are hanging out at Sato's place, and Kya is meeting up with some of her old hippie friends. So Uncle Bumi is watching the kids tonight!"

Lin pushed the papers aside and leaned forward, eyes wide and said, "And where's the part where a meteorite landed on your head, giving you brain damage which deluded you into thinking that I would be a good person to ask for help in this endeavor?"

Bumi sat up straight and, pleading, said, "Come on Lin! It wouldn't be that bad. One of the acolytes is watching baby Rohan, so it'd just be the older kids. Please? I just want them to have a good time and I know that they like you!"

"Bumi, I'm your friend. Which is why I'm going to be honest with you: NO. Now get out so I can work."

Bumi hit his knees and held up prayer hands saying, "Please, please, please!"

"No!"

"What if gave you fifty yuan?"

"No."

"What if I threw in coupons to Long's Cafe?"

"You mean that place with the really good hot and sour soup?"

"With a courtesy wonton, yes!"

Lin looked up from her paperwork to see Bumi making his most pitiful pouting expression. She shut her eyes and groaned inwardly. Truth be told she wouldn't mind spending a little time with the kids; it wasn't like she had anything better to do tonight. She opened her eyes and said.

"That's no problem!" Bumi jumped up and ran around the desk to hug her. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Ugh," Lin grunted, shoving him off. "Knock it off!"

He let go of her and started for the door saying, "This is so great of you! Now just meet us at the park at six."

"Okay. Wait, the park?"

"Oh, I didn't tell you? We're taking them to a kiddie carnival."

"_What?_ Bumi!"

"Okay, see you later, goodbye!"

With that he slammed the door and Lin hit her head against the desk, wondering what the hell she'd gotten herself into.

Later after work while she was walking to the park she was still asking herself, "Why did I agree to this?"

The answer was obvious: Bumi. She'd wanted to help him out and spend some time with him while doing it. For anyone else that would be easy to admit, especially considering that they'd been getting closer lately. But Lin had been dragging her feet. Why? Well…

Before she could think about it in-depth, she heard a loud cry of, "HI AUNT LIN!"

The metalbender looked up to see Bumi standing with the kids and Ikki racing toward her. When the young airbender was close she stopped and starting talking a few thousand miles an hour.

"Hi! I'm so happy you're coming with us! I know we're going to have so much fun! I knew it would be fun when I found out we were going with Uncle Bumi but because you're coming along it'll be even more fun because that means that we can split up and do different things and Uncle Bumi will get to hang out with you which is great because he really-!"

"HEY!" Bumi came up behind and grabbed clapped a hand over his niece's mouth while shouting a greeting. Ikki looked up at her uncle, frustrated at being stopped. Jinora and Meelo soon joined them; the former greeted Lin politely while smiling. The latter asked how many bad guys she had arrested today.

"Too many to count," Lin replied, only half-joking.

"Excellent work," Meelo said, saluting her.

Lin saluted in return before looking at Bumi and saying, "Well, I guess we should get going."

"Right!" Bumi said, as he attempted to drag a still angry Ikki through the park. "It's just over there." He pointed toward an open area where little food and game booths were set up. It wasn't a huge affair, but it had a ride or two, including a Ferris wheel. Lin wasn't terribly impressed, but naturally the kids are all for it.

"It's like a little Glacier Spirit Festival," Jinora commented as they neared the activity. "I wonder if they have any booths selling collectibles."

"I'm wanna win the biggest stuffed thing I can find," Ikki cried, perking up.

In trying to make conversation and get rid of some awkwardness, Lin turned to Meelo and asked, "What are you wanting to do?"

"Eat until my tummy gets big, like Uncle Bumi."

Lin covered her mouth to hide a laugh as Bumi glared at his nephew.

"Alright kids," the Commander announced when they found themselves in the center of things. "Since we all want to do different things, how about this for a plan: Meelo and I'll go raid the food booths. The Chief can see about winning Ikki a prize and Jinora can go with whoever she wants."

The kids agreed that this sounded good and Lin went along with it. The guys went one way while Ikki wandered around looking for the largest possible stuffed animal. Jinora walked next to Lin, talking idly.

"It was nice of you to come with us," she murmured.

"Oh, it's no big deal," Lin assured her. "I like spending time with you kids."

Jinora looked surprised. "Really?"

"Sure." Lin looked at her with a smile and said, "You're all pretty great."

The young airbender looked away, smiling happily. A minute later a loud gasp signaled that Ikki had found her stuffed thing.

"Look at it!" The little girl was so excited she was jumping up and down pointing at a platypuspanda that was larger than she was. "It's so cute I'm gonna explode!"

Ikki ran over to the booth and, pointing at the creature, asked the carny, "What do I have to do to win that?"

The carny gestured to his booth and said, "All you have to do is knock down them mouserabbits." The mouserabbits were crudely shaped pieces of metal which you were supposed to knock down with a ball. It looked simple enough, but when Ikki hurled the balls given to her, she couldn't seem to knock even one down. Even when a ball hit dead center on one of the metal plates, it remained standing.

As Ikki moaned and paid to try again, Lin took a closer look from the side. That was when she saw that tiny metal stands had been fixed behind the plates to keep them upright. A person would have to be incredibly strong to knock one down.

Incredibly strong, or an angry metalbender.

Before Ikki could waste her second turn, Lin stepped in and said, "Let me try this time." She took the balls and with a sideways glance at the smug carny, hurled the first ball at a mouserabbit. As she threw, she stretched her fingers out wide and lowered her hand a bit. When the ball hit, Lin savored the expression of shock on the carny's face when it knocked the metal plate down.

With an inner chuckle, she threw the other balls and knocked the other plates down easily. The carny glared at her but forked the platypuspanda over anyway, sending Ikki into a joyful hysteria.

"OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSH!" She shrieked and hugged the stuffed toy for dear life while Jinora laughed. Lin returned the carny's smug look from earlier. Now that she'd 'made some improvements' she was certain that Ikki wouldn't be the only one getting a toy from this booth tonight.

As they moved on, Jinora turned to her and asked, "Did you…?"

Lin shushed her and winked before she leaned in and said, "He was cheating anyway."

The three wandered for a bit, until they found a trinket stall where Jinora decided to stop and browse. Ikki parked herself in a corner and sat there, trying to decide what to name her new friend.

"Dumpling? No. Banana Surprise? No."

The Chief looked around a bit and finally spotted Bumi. The Commander was headed for them, Meelo slung over his shoulder. When they were closer Lin asked, "Did you two find anything good?"

Bumi held a few fried objects on sticks and said, "Couldn't be better. Found some food for you and the girls."

"I'm gonna explode!" Meelo cried.

"I told ya not to eat that fifth fried banana," Bumi chided.

Lin called the girls over and the three of them snacked while they walked around again. Ikki took the time to brag to Bumi about how Lin had won the toy, and metalbender waved it off like it was nothing.

"What now?" Lin asked Bumi.

The wild man scratched his beard in thought. "I think they have a show somewhere around here...with puppets."

"Puppets?" Meelo asked, waking up a bit.

"Oh, I love puppets," Ikki cried, jumping up and down with her stuffed friend. "Puppets are the best!"

"I like puppets," Jinora said.

"Puppets?" Meelo repeated.

"Sounds unanimous," Bumi said. "This way, fairest fair goers."

When they got in the tent Lin immediately groaned. It was everything she hated: clowns, puppets, clown puppets, and a crowded assortment of crazy, laughing and sticky kids.

They found seats and while Bumi and the girls set right away to laughing at the show, Lin leaned back, apathetic to most of the puns. After a few minutes she looked over to see that Meelo didn't seem to be having fun either. The little airbender was staring at the stage with a terrified expression on his face.

"Uh oh," Lin muttered.

"What?" Bumi asked, leaning over to her.

"Nothing," she replied. "I'm just going to take Meelo out."

"Are you sure?" Bumi asked. For some reason he looked a little disappointed.

Lin nodded and pointed at the kid who looked like he was on the verge of tears. "If I don't soon, I'm afraid he'll have a meltdown."

The Chief picked Meelo up and took him outside the tent. In the cool air, Meelo took in a deep breath and rested his head on Lin's shoulder.

"I don't like puppets," he mumbled.

"Neither do I," she agreed as she set him down. "Why don't we go find something else to do?"

"Okay," he said, instantly cheering up. He grabbed Lin's hand, and the metalbender didn't have the heart to make him let go. They walked around until they found a small teacup ride. Lin was too big to fit in it, but agreed to watch from the sidelines. While she waited, she looked around a bit and thought how much better this was then sitting at home alone. She smiled a little when she thought about how if it weren't for Bumi she would be doing just that.

"Hey Chief!"

Lin looked up to see Korra and Asami Sato coming toward her.

"Fancy seeing you here," Miss Sato said, taking a bite of her cotton candy.

"Yeah," Korra said, elbowing the Chief playfully. "I thought you hated these sort of things."

Lin shrugged and said, "Well, usually I do, but Bumi begged me to help him with the kids tonight. Babysitting and all."

Korra raised an eyebrow. "Babysitting? What for? Last I heard Tenzin and Pema didn't have any plans tonight.

It was Lin's turn to look confused. "That's strange," she said. "Actually now that I think about it, Bumi told me that you and your friends were busy and that that was why you couldn't watch the kids."

The Avatar grinned. "Sounds like somebody's got some explaining to do."

"There he is now," Asami pointed at Bumi coming towards them with the girls. As he got closer, he noticed Korra and Asami as well as the expression on Lin's face, and his pace began to slow.

"Hey there, Avatar," the wild man said, trying to act casual. "Miss Sato. What brings you two here?"

"Nothing?" Korra said, loving the tension as Lin's glare got fiercer. "What are _you _doing here?"

"Uh…" Bumi tried to think of something to say, terrified that anything he voiced would get him in worse trouble.

They were interrupted when Meelo stumbled off the ride looking queasy. His sisters, meanwhile, were ready to go do other things.

"Korra," Lin said, not taking her eyes off Bumi, "would you and Miss Sato mind taking the kids for a minute or two? The Commander and I need to have a….talk."

"No problem," Korra said happily. As the Chief led a nervous Bumi away, Korra turned to Asami and said, "Someone's in _trouble_!"

"You really shouldn't get that excited about it," her friend commented as they took the kids to a few of the easier rides.

Unable to find a private place, Lin chose to pull Bumi on the Ferris wheel. As they waited for the thing to start-up she turned to him and said, "Spill it."

Bumi crossed his arms over his chest and turned his head. "I don't know what you mean."

"Oh don't give me that," she said. "You lied about having to babysit. You lied and then dragged me here. And why?"

"Hey," Bumi said as the ride started up, "you were having a good time! The kids were loving it. Why does it have to be a problem?"

"Because you _lied_. And I want to know why."

As the ride came a slow halt at the top, Bumi sighed and slid down in his seat.

"Okay," he said, still not looking at her, "you wanna know the reason?"

"Yes," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"The reason is… I wanted to spend time with you. And I didn't know how to ask you because I know you aren't big on dating and relationships and all. So I used the kids as bait. And then I didn't want to make it too obvious so I didn't even spend that much time around you while I was here."

He sat up and rested his hands on the bar, saying, "So there you have it. I'm a horrible, pathetic person who uses his own nieces and nephew to go on a date, and then doesn't even let the person know it's a date. If you don't want to talk to me once we get off this thing, I understand."

As they sat there in silence, Lin looked over at Bumi. His silhouette was framed by the lights from below as well as the city lights peeking in over the tops of the trees. She considered what he said.

"Why isn't this moving?" he asked, leaning over to look moved her hand over to touch his and he sat up again, looking at her nervously.

She said, "If you'd just asked me, I probably would've come. You know I like those kids, even if they are crazy. And, truth be told, I like you."

"I like you too," he said, looking at their hands. "A lot. You know, as many women as I've gone out with over the years, it's always the ones I really like that I have the hardest time talking to."

"Well," she said, fully holding his hand now, "maybe that's because there's a higher chance of getting hurt if they don't like you in return. I'm going to be honest: that's part of why I've hesitated with...this thing between us. I don't want to get hurt."

Bumi finally looked her in the eye and said, "I'd never hurt you."

"I know," she murmured. "You're good like that."

For a moment they sat there, considering things. Then he leaned over and before she could protest, stole a kiss. Lin felt her cheeks warming as the wheel started to turn again. Before they reached the bottom they broke apart and looked away awkwardly.

"Sure took a long time for us to come down," Bumi commented as they got off the ride.

Lin looked over to see Korra, Asami and the kids standing by the wheel's operator, waving at them. "I think I might know why," she said.

They spent the rest of the evening going from booth to booth having fun with the kids. At night they dropped them off on the island, all three too tired and full to protest having to go to bed.

"Did you have a good time?" Pema asked. "The kids said that they had a blast."

"Yeah," Lin said, looking over at Bumi. The two shared a secretive look before she turned back to Pema and said, "Best babysitting job I've ever had."

* * *

**I hope the interactions with Lin and the kids were okay; I was a little rushed when writing this. Also, some people seem to be confused about chapter 16 still. Just so we're clear, it was an ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. Granted it was more alternate than most, but the idea is that the world is different in some way, but the character traits stay the same. That's also why I've decided to make it a separate story.**

**Anyway, it doesn't matter, because you guys are all great! I am loving the reviews SO much. :3 Tomorrow I'm planning on posting double, if I find the time. Why? Well...I'll tell ya later. Peace out for now!**


	19. Gossip

The day started out normally. Lin had woken up, gotten dressed, grabbed a quick breakfast and left for work. She'd chosen to walk today and took her usual route. And that was when things started getting weird. As the Chief made her way down the street, she noticed people staring at her. Some tried to hide it, while others were being more obvious and even pointing at her. A shop owner stopped sweeping to gawk. And she noticed a small cluster of well-dressed women about her age pointing and hiding their giggles behind fans.

"What the..?"

When she got to the cross walk she looked down at herself. Nothing seemed to be wrong with her appearance; she'd checked herself out in the mirror before leaving. And even if there was some cosmetic flaw, she doubted that it would draw this much attention.

"Just ignore it," she muttered to herself as the light changed. The Chief crossed the street and entered Police Headquarters, where things were even worse. All eyes were on her as she entered, and several detectives were snickering. The first few times, it was confusing. Now the metalbender was getting angry.

Miraculously, she made it to her the detective's floor. As she walked down the row of desks, there was even more snickering. Lin noticed that several of them were holding newspapers. As she walked by one desk, the detective hid his paper behind his back.

"Hey Chief," he officer greeted her nervously.

Lin raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Hello. Would you mind telling me what that is you're hiding?"

"Huh? Oh you mean this…" He pulled the paper out. "Nothing. Just an ordinary old newspaper, nothing to see."

"Oh really," Lin said, stepping closer to the desk. The detective was sweating now. "If that's the case, then why were you hiding it?"

"Um," he stammered, "just trying to keep the workspace clean, is all."

"Is that so?"

"Yes!"

The Chief narrowed her eyes at her subordinate before turning away. Normally she would have explored it more, but she had work to do. Once she'd shut the door to her office she heard waves of laughter erupt outside.

The metalbender gritted her teeth and felt a growl rising in her throat. "What in the name of Aang is wrong with everyone?" she asked herself as she sat down at her desk.

Before she could ponder it further, Mako burst into her office. She was about to yell at him for forgetting to knock, when he held up a paper.

"Have you read this?" he asked, out of breath.

Lin looked at it closely. "The Daily Blab? That's that trashy newsletter that everyone reads. It's all gossip; why would I bother with that garbage?"

"Because," Mako said hesitantly, "well… Just look at page two."

He tossed her the paper and she opened. Splashed across the page was "CHIEF LIN BEI FONG: Softening Hero or Sinful Heartbreaker?"

Lin's jaw dropped. "WHAT?"

"People have noticed your relationship with Bumi and how you've been getting kind of...uh…"

"_Soft?"_

Mako tried to avoid his bosses furious gaze. "Well, yeah… At least you've been nicer. So now they're writing things about how either you're really getting soft, or it's-

"'-a sadistic plot to get revenge on the Avatar's family after Republic City's own Master Tenzin dumped her years ago. Inside sources say that, while she is perfectly kind to the Commander in person, in reality she often can't wait to get away from him. She has also expressed interest in her ex-lover, even in front of his wife.'"

Having read all she cared to, Lin calmly stood up and handed the paper to Mako. "Will you do the honors?"

"Gladly." The firebender sent the paper up in flames and hurled it in a nearby waste bin. The two sat down again. Mako said, "This isn't the first time they've done something like this. A few months back they wrote this awful thing about Korra and Asami fighting over me. Then there was a piece about Tenzin treating Pema like a slave. And just last week it wrote something about Bolin being a noodle addict."

Lin rubbed her temples. "What do these people have against us? We're public defenders, not showpieces. They should writing trash about those mover stars, or better yet President Raiko and his fellow politicians."

Mako shook his head. "They're looking for targets that the public is familiar with, and we fit the bill."

"And because of the press acts passed a few decades ago, we can't touch them," Lin added. She sighed. "I guess Bumi and I are just going to have to ride this one out."

The Chief looked over at Mako and said, "Thanks for showing this to me. It's nice to know I have at least one cop who's on my side when we're not in the field."

The firebender shrugged and said, "No problem. We're all part of the group, and we've gotta look out for each other."

Lin nodded and sent him on his way. Once he was gone she walked over to the bin and looked in. She pulled out a lone scrap of paper that hadn't burned. It was a picture of her and Bumi; they were posed near a drink stand, Bumi talking adamantly, his hands in the air, smiling. She on the other hand had incredibly unpleasant expression on her face. Lin remembered it then: they'd just gotten some drinks and she'd been suffering from the after taste of sour tea.

The Chief wadded up the paper and hurled it back into the can. Seething, she sat down again and spent the rest of the day _trying _to work, trying not to be furious about how easily one picture could be manipulated out of context, trying to just look forward the time she could go and see Bumi.

On Air Temple Island, Bumi hadn't taken the news any better. He'd raged at the paper, torn it to shreds, and cursed at the White Lotus member that had brought it to work. He then stomped all the way to breakfast, grumbling as he went. When he entered the dining room he looked straight at Tenzin.

"I know," Tenzin said before Bumi could say anything. The airbender looked almost as annoyed as the Commander felt. "It's ridiculous the lies these people have printed. As if Lin still had feelings for me. Why it's almost as ridiculous as that one about me treating Pema like a slave."

Tenzin made a point of ignoring Pema's grunt as she carried a load of dishes into the kitchen.

Bumi sat down, and growled, "The nerve of those bastards talking about Lin that way. She's got more loyalty, honesty and integrity in one finger than everyone at that paper."

Kya who'd been listening nodded and said, "You're right Bumi. It's all a load of garbage. But it's not like you can get them to stop printing these things. They haven't broken any laws and besides, it's what the public seems to want."

"Screw the public," Bumi rumbled as he shoveled breakfast into his mouth. "This is what the those politicians and rich people want. They want this stuff printed so that the spotlight is off them for once."

Korra joined them at the table and quickly judged what was going on by the expression on Bumi's face what was going on. "Read the paper?"

"Gr…"

The Avatar nodded sympathetically. "I remember when they wrote that thing about me and Asami. It was really annoying for a while, but we ended up having fun with it."

Bumi looked up finally and raised his eyebrow. "What do you mean 'had fun with it'?"

"Well, they kept printing stuff about us so we made sure the photographers got the most over-the-top shots. That made it better, because then we were in control and nobody even knew it."

The Commander considered this for a moment, chewing on his food slowly. Then a sneaky smile spread across his face. "You know Avatar, you just gave me a lovely idea…"

"Where are you going?" Tenzin asked as his brother got up.

"To make a public confrontation!" Bumi called. And with a flourish he was out the door and headed for the port. He had a Police Chief to visit.

A few hours later, reporters from The Daily Blab were called to make their way down to Police Headquarters as soon as possible. When they arrived on the scene, photographers caught graphic pictures of a very public fight between Chief Lin Bei Fong and Commander Bumi. Reporters caught every insult from she-devil to moronic bastard to a few that were too racy to print. Civilians gawked as the Chief actually physically threw the Commander off of Police property. And the next day the entire affair was not only on the front page of the Blab, but also mentioned in several other papers and gossip columns.

"Read this one," Bumi said, shaking from laughter as he handed his brother a paper over breakfast.

Tenzin took it and haltingly read, "'the Commander then proceeded to accuse the Chief of stealing and throwing out his personal antique eggshell collection, a fact which Bei Fong was hasty to deny. One must wonder what other things were destroyed during their brief, but heated relationship.'"

"Oh my god," Kya said, barely able to hold her teacup.

"Told you it was fun," Korra said, sipping her morning soup. "It's all part of the press game."

"It _was_ fun," Lin agreed as she entered the dining room, dressed for work.

Bumi jumped up from his chair and dramatically pointed a finger at the woman. "You! You who broke my heart and destroyed my soul! You who lied to me every second we were together! You who sold my favorite collectible lamp! What brings you here, oh cruel betrayer of love?"

"I wanted to wish you a good day and make sure we were still on for dinner tonight."

"Well of course!" He walked over and threw his arms around her, making her squirm because of the people looking at him. "You know I'd never a break a date without telling you."

"Is that so?" she asked, trying to wriggle out of his grasp.

"'Course. And do you know why? 'Cause I loooove you."

He kissed on the cheek and she finally shoved him off.

"You're gross," she said.

"Gross? Hey, that could be our new thing! Is it that I'm too affectionate, or that you're just resistant to love? I can see the headlines now!"

Lin shook her head. "Don't get too carried away with this, okay?"

She left the dining room and was headed down the steps when she heard Bumi behind her. The Chief turned and asked, "Something wrong?"

Bumi stepped down to her level and said, "No. I just wanted to say that I think it's great we're making it through this junk together."

"Well, you know what they say: the couple that's slandered together, stays together."

The wild man grinned at her. "Is that a sense of humor I see in there?"

"Maybe. Or maybe I'm just lying to you, trying to fool you into thinking I care."

"Why, you sinful heartbreaker," he gasped, hand on his chest.

Lin laughed before wishing him a goodbye. As she watched him hop back up the steps she turned to go and mumbled to herself, "No. Just a big softie."

* * *

**Yeah, sorry I couldn't manage my double-post. Extraneous circumstances and what not. Mostly I'm just really tired.**

**Also, I need to give you guys some sucky news: I'm having surgery tomorrow! Which means I won't be able to update for a while; we're looking at about a week or so. I'll try for less, but this is one of my bigger surgeries, so, you know. But, I promise to get back to you guys as soon as I can.**

**As always, thank you so much for all of your wonderful reviews! You guys make every stressful moment worth it. See you soon!**


	20. You Worried Me, Dammit!

Lin stood back as Asami fiddled with the airship's radio. After an intense aerial battle, they'd had to make an emergency landing as soon as they neared the shore. Now the young engineer was working to not only get them back on the air, but also to see if the other half of their team had made it through okay.

"Anything?" Korra asked as Asami messed with the dials.

"Mostly static," Asami replied. "Wait… There!"

The radio hummed before leveling out. After a bit of adjusting, Asami handed Korra the receiver.

"Tenzin?" Korra asked. "Do you read me? Are you there?"

For a moment there was nothing and all three women held their breath. Lin especially; she was worried about one person in particular, and if Tenzin didn't pick up…

"Tenzin?"

Out of the speaker came a reply of, "Korra?"

With a beam, the avatar said, "_There_ you are! Is everyone okay?"

"Yes, for the most part," came the master airbender's static-filled reply. "We're all a bit banged up, but otherwise alright."

"Thank goodness," Asami said, relieved.

From her place in the background Lin let out a breath. Arms crossed over her chest she stepped forward to better hear the conversation.

"It's so great to hear from you guys. Where are you now?" Korra asked.

"We reached the shore. Oogi took us to a small forested area. I can't remember the name but-

"But there's a giant rock here that looks like a turtleduck, so you should be able to find us! Actually, I remember landing here once back in my United Forces days. Of course there were pirates involved that time so I didn't actually get to enjoy the scenery as much."

Korra let out a chuckle at the sound of Tenzin sighing in exasperation. "It's great to hear from you too, Bumi."

At the metallic sound of Bumi's voice, Lin fully came out of her stupor. She stepped over to Korra and tapped her on the shoulder. When the avatar looked back, the Chief gestured as if to take the mic.

"May I?"

Korra shrugged. "Sure."

Lin nodded a thanks and took the seat in front of the radio. "Bumi," she asked, "are you still there?"

On the other side of the line, Bumi jumped for joy and completely shoved Tenzin out-of-the-way as he grabbed the receiver.

"Hey there Hun! How's it going?"

"How's it going? _How's it going?_" On their end, Korra and Asami glanced at each other and backed up a bit.

"You nearly killed yourself out there! _That's_ how it's going!"

"Oh come on, Lin, it was a battle! Everyone was doing crazy stuff."

"Yes, but you just had to top them, didn't you? And congratulations by the way: jumping off a sky bison while flying over the ocean while firebenders are shooting lightning at you definitely wins you the gold in the 'Doing Idiotic Moves in Battle' competition."

Bumi swallowed sheepishly. "I know, but it was all part of the plan. Listen babe-."

"_BABE? _DON'T YOU DARE CALL ME _BABE_ WHEN I'M YELLING AT YOU!"

The Commander held the receiver away from his ear and cringed. He glanced at Tenzin and then wished he hadn't, as his brother was now grinning smugly, clearly enjoying this. Bumi glared in return before going back to the radio.

"I'm sorry," he muttered.

"Sorry isn't going to cut it," Lin fumed. She was gripping the receiver so tightly that Asami was mentally calculating how much longer the small metal object would hold out. The Chief continued, "What you did was brash and stupid!"

"But it worked!"

"Yes, by some miracle, it worked. That's not the point!"

"What are you trying to do?" Bumi asked, switching from frightened to frustrated. "Scold me for doing my part?"

"Your part was supposed to keep you _on _the bison. Not forty feet below it dangling by a rope while trying to get your airbending to kick in."

"I improvised!"

"You put yourself and everyone else at risk just so that you could look like a hero!"

From behind, Lin heard a small cough. The Chief looked back and saw Asami and Korra giving her the universal gesture for "please, dear God, hurry up so that we can get things done." Lin let out a huff and turned back to the receiver.

"You're lucky I have to go," she barked into the radio. "And don't think you're off the hook, because we're going to talk about this later!"

"Fine!" Bumi snapped. "But can I just point out what's really going on here?"

"If you can do it in ten seconds, then sure, enlighten me."

"You're just mad because you were worried about me."

Lin was quiet for a second before saying, "Well, duh."

Bumi covered his mouth to suppress a laugh. "I love you."

"Oh, shut up."

With that Lin hung up. Bumi did the same and looked over at Tenzin, who was still grinning like a jerk. "You're so going to get chewed out later."

The Commander shrugged in concession. "Yeah, but it's worth it to know she cares.

Tenzin raised an eyebrow. "How worth it?"

"At least fifty percent. Maybe sixty; I don't know. About as 'worth it' as that glare Pema gives you every time you talk about a battle."

The two shared a knowing grin. As different as the brothers were they had one sure thing in common: wonderful, overprotective wives.

**Surprise, bitches. I bet you thought you'd seen the last of me… (Sorry, I had to.)**

**So, yeah, I'm back. Still excessively tired most of the time which makes it hard to focus on reading/writing, but I'm working on it. Just be warned that I might not be able to update as often as I was before. Also my filter on quality control is a bit low, so sorry about the choppiness here.**

**Anyways, thanks for the well wishes and the patience. :) And of course I also thank you for the great reviews! Hope you guys enjoy this!**


	21. How many?

"Are you really upset about this?" Lin asked as she took her armor off after a long day of work. Bumi was sitting on her bed watching her.

"Yes, I am," the Commander replied as crossed his arms and pouted.

As she pulled on a loose shirt, the Police Chief turned to him and said, "You know I was joking."

"Well excuse me if I don't find being called a 'man-whore' funny," he snapped.

Lin rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on Bumi, you're the who's always bragging about his exploits." She sat down next to him. "Excuse me for putting a label on it."

Bumi stood up and turned to her. "Yeah? Well how would you feel if I called _you_ a whore?"

"How would you feel if I bragged about how many people I've had sex with?"

"How many people have you had sex with?" Bumi asked, his eyes suddenly going wide.

"See?" Lin said, pointing at him. "There you go. All I had to do was suggest that I've slept with a lot of people and you freaked out."

He dropped his arms and stood there awkwardly. "Yeah, well… It's just weird to think about."

"It's weird for me too, but for some reason guys are allowed to brag while women are supposed to be ashamed."

"Hmph."

Lin threw her hands up. "Whatever. Come on, are we going out or what?"

She went downstairs, Bumi following close behind. As she reached for a jacket Lin noticed that he was still looking at her oddly.

"What's the matter? Someone let the air out of your ship?"

He leaned against a wall and raised an eyebrow, looking her up and down as he asked, "How many people _have _you slept with?"

The metalbender grimaced and asked, "Why do you care?"

"I'm curious."

Lin crossed her arms over her chest. "Alright, I'll tell you… If you tell me yours first."

Bumi looked at her for a minute before saying, "Nope."

"What? Why?"

"Nope," the Commander said, ducking into the kitchen.

"Bumi!"

Lin followed her boyfriend and found him sitting at the table, twiddling his thumbs. She walked over and sat down. "Honestly, what's gotten into you?"

"Nope." He buried his head in his arms.

Lin shut her eyes, really not in the mood for this. But she was gonna put up with it because relationships and work and love and all that crap. She opened her eyes and looked at her pitiful partner. She dug down, located her sympathy, and rested a hand on his head.

"Sweetie…" Even after six months that word felt weird coming out of her mouth. "Are you embarrassed?"

Bumi shrugged without raising his head.

Lin pulled her hand away and thought for a moment. From his place in his arms, he heard her get up, get something out of a drawer, and then come back.

"How about this?" she said as she shoved a paper under his arm. "You write yours and I'll write down mine. Then we can...talk...about it."

Bumi raised his head and looked at her suspiciously. "And you won't judge me?"

"Bumi, I once walked in on you while you were drunk, yelling at the radio, dressed in nothing but your Navy coat with noodles stuck in your beard. I think it's safe to say we're past the judgement stage."

The Commander finally let a little smile come to his face which Lin returned.

"Alright," he said, fully sitting up. "But keep in mind, I was often at sea for _long_ periods of time and-."

"Yeah, I got it," Lin said, holding up a hand to tell him to shut it.

The two took a minute to think before writing down their numbers, then swapped papers.

"Whoa," Bumi said, his eyes blowing wide.

"Whoa is right. This," Lin said, "is what you were afraid to tell me?"

"What?" Bumi looked up, confused.

"This isn't bad at all. I mean, you always made it sound like you slept with half the Earth Kingdom."

"So you're okay with this? You don't think I'm a man-whore?"

Lin shook her head. "Honey, I'm fine. What did you think I would do, get jealous?"

"No. I thought you'd think less of me." He scratched at a nonexistent spot on the table. "I mean, sure, guys act like it makes them so manly and great but...there's a limit. There's definitely a limit."

Lin put a hand on top of his and their eyes met. In the most sincere of voices she said, "Honey, you're fine. And even if it was twice this number, I'd still be fine."

At last, he broke into his full-blown manic grin and zealously kissed her fingers and forehead. "You're gold you know that, Linny? Pure gold."

"I know," she said standing up, "now can we go? I'm starving."

As she started for the door she felt Bumi still gripping her hand. "Wait," he said, "we didn't talk about your number."

"What about my number?"

"_Three? _It's just so low," he said, standing up. "I mean, why's that? A woman like you could get a lot more than that; I mean look at you." He gestured towards her general self. "Have you looked in the mirror lately?"

"Yes actually," she said, crossing her arms. "And I saw someone who's too busy to concern herself with any kind of romantic relationship unless it really means something. Unless she loves them."

"Well yeah but… Oh...you mean…?"

Lin nodded, enjoying the look on Bumi's face as he caught on. "Uh huh."

Bumi considered this. "You don't say that much."

"Yeah, but when I say I mean it."

The grin made another appearance, accompanied by the classic no-room-for-air bear hug. "I love you too," he said, happily.

"Too much!" Lin gasped for breath until he let go. The two shared a smile before Lin said, "So, how about we grab a bite and then come back here?"

Bumi stroked his beard. "By "coming back here", would you be suggesting the possible future occurrence of 'exploits' as you so put it?"

"Why yes, I am," Lin said, pulling on a jacket. "And what do you say to that?"

"I say we'd better get going. You know how hard it is to hit the sack on a full stomach; we need to plan for digestion time."

"Oh, but you are _so_ romantic, Commander."

"Save the compliments for later, Chief," he said, dragging her out the door.

"By the way," he asked later, at dinner. "You said you only do it with guys you're in love with, so that makes three guys you've loved."

"And Tenzin says you're terrible at math," Lin deadpanned.

"Ha ha," Bumi returned. "Speaking of Mr. No Fun, I know he's number one. Which is kind of gross now that I think about it."

"Trust me," she said, "you don't want to think about it."

Bumi sat there for a minute before shuddering. "Anyway… There's also yours truly, obviously. And of course I'm your favorite. But then there's Number Three. Who's that?"

Lin downed her drink and then went straight to slurping her noodles without answering.

"Lin?"

The woman looked up to see a scruffy eyebrow being raised at her. So she said, "Does it matter?"

"Well, I guess not, but-."

"Bumi, I'm tired of talking about other people we've been with. Can we please talk about us?"

The wild man recognized that she was avoiding the question, but for the sake of the evening decided to let it slide. So he conceded and then asked her the standard, "How was your day? I think I asked that earlier but then the man-whore thing happened and we got side-tracked."

Lin nodded. "Actually, my day was pretty good."

"What was your favorite part?" Bumi loved it when they asked each other this - the answer could be really surprising sometimes.

Without missing a beat she replied, "Coming home."

"And why is that your favorite?"

"Because when I got home I found you there, waiting for me."

"Funny, that's my favorite part too."

They shared another grin and ate in silence for a few minutes.

"At least," Bumi added, "it's my favorite part up to now. Things may be different later."

"May be? Why, I'm surprised at you Commander. One would think you'd already have put that part down as your favorite."

"Oh, honestly Lin, is that the sort of person you think I am?" With much dramatic flair, pulled his hand away and stuck his nose in the air. "Some sort of cheap floozy?"

"No, of course not."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I mean, you ordered the most expensive thing on the menu so that makes you a very expensive floozy."

He narrowed his eyes at her for hijacking his joke. "I don't like you."

"Yeah, but you love me," she pointed out.

"And you love me too," he said, proudly. "And I have the bite marks to prove it."

**FORESHADOWING! DUN DUN DUN! Unfortunately foreshadowing made this chapter a bitch to try to end. Blah. Anyways, this chapter came to me when someone on tumblr pointed out that Bumi probably got around a lot back in the day, and I thought "Yep, I could see that." Of course, 'a lot' is all perspective. As for the shade thrown by Lin, I shall come back to that in a later, more dramatic chapter. **

**To TheEvilMelonLord: No worries, pal. I know my limits. But thanks for the concern!**

**To Vanessa Masters: I **_**shall **_**PM you! (When I find time…)**

**And yeah, it's nice to be back. I missed the adrenaline you get when a review notice pops up in your e-mail. So, I hope you enjoy this, and again, I'll work on making it regular. And tomorrow's Friday, so I can tell Satan I won't have to sell my soul after all! (At least not yet...)**


	22. What Measure is a Friend?

"So then," Bumi said, trying to talk through his laughter, "we run around the corner and their back up team is there, scratching their brains out!"

"The termites had gotten into their clothes! So all we had to do was pick up the stuff and run. They were too itchy to put up a fight!"

Tenzin nodded, trying to act interested in this recount of one of Bumi's crazy adventures with his friend, Ting Ju, a fellow member of the United Forces. The two veterans were sitting at the table, tossing back drinks and laughing with their arms around each other. Normally Tenzin wouldn't have minded so much; after all it wasn't often his brother got to hang out with his old friends.

Except that they were at a banquet which President Raiko himself was throwing. That little fact caused the whole situation to be much more annoying and embarrassing than it normally would have been. The airbender closed his eyes and sighed, wishing for a way to go back in time and preventing the two from running into one another. Because as bad as Bumi could be, Ting Ju was ten times worse.

"What's the matter, Tenzin?" Ting Ju, upon noticing his discomfort, leaned across the table to get a better look at his friend's brother. "Who put a staff up your exhaust valve?"

"You."

The veteran found this comment to be hilarious and burst into another round of drunken laughter. Next to him, Pema sighed and looked away. She'd been hoping to enjoy one night without the kids; instead an even bigger kid had showed up.

"I'm gonna go get a drink," she said, getting up.

"Bring me one, too," Tenzin said before his wife left. As she walked away Ting Ju watched her go and then turned to Tenzin and gave him a wink. Tenzin glared in return.

Bumi, having been too busy drinking to notice any of this, flapped a hand at his sibling. "Aw, he's just upset because we're having fun and he's not. He's always been like that."

Ting Ju nodded, understanding. "I know what you mean, Boomer. Why I remember this one guy-."

"That's it!" Tenzin said, throwing his hands in the air. "No more stories! I can't take anymore! The two of you can go away now. Far, far away!"

Bumi glared at his brother as he got up and said, "Come on Ting, we don't need this." The two stumbled off and Tenzin leaned back with a sigh, just as Pema returned.

"Do you think it was smart to let them wander around, as drunk as they are?" she questioned.

Tenzin grabbed the drink she had brought him and replied, "At this point, I really don't care."

The banquet, a very lavish affair, had every kind of food and drink imaginable. So, naturally, Bumi and Ting Ju found themselves raiding the buffet table while well dressed guests looked on in annoyance.

"Ya know," Bumi said, gnawing on an unidentified animal leg, "I can't tell you how great it is to have you here Ting. I mean, how long's it been, ten, twenty years?"

"Twenty-two," Ting Ju said through a mouthful of steamed veggies. He swallowed and added, "I think…"

"Yeah," the retired Commander said, once again throwing his arm around his friend. The pair staggered past a group of people and around a dessert table. "I remember all the times it was just the two of us, all the way back in boot camp. And all those partner missions where we only had each other to rely on…"

"Oh forget that crap. Heck, I remember our wingmen days," Ting chuckled, elbowing Bumi in the ribs. "Remember? We'd show up in the port, pick a bar and start scoping out the chicks. Damn am I glad I had you; all the liquor we had to buy, I would have been broke after the first month!"

He burst into laughter and Bumi followed suit, though truth be told he was a little disappointed that was all his friend seemed to remember. Because he could remember all the times he'd had to bail Ting Ju out when he'd done something stupid, as well as the many times he'd had to work to forgive his friend for it.

The truth was, Bumi knew his friend was a grade-A asshole. But Ting was also one heck of a marksman and had pulled him out of sticky situations. And he was a decent wingman, truth be told. So, for whatever reason, they'd stuck together. After all, it wasn't like the guy had ever done anything _really_ wrong.

"Excuse me."

At the sound of that commanding voice a grin spread across Bumi's face and he turned to see Chief Lin Beifong standing there in full uniform, glaring at them.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"We're just having a little fun, Linny," Bumi replied good-naturedly. "No need to get your badge in a knot."

"A little fun?" Lin repeated, her glare intensifying. "The two of you are disrupting things. I've gotten no less than ten complaints about your noise level and conduct. I'm giving you a warning now, but if things get worse, I won't hesitate to throw you out."

As she started to walk away, Bumi chased after her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, Lin," he whined, "don't be this way! I'm sorry. Here - let me introduce you to my friend. Lin, this is Ting Ju, my best friend from the United Forces. Ting, this is Lin Beifong, head of Republic City's Police Force."

"Cop, eh?" Ting asked, sizing Lin up. A grin came to his face and he said, "Well, hello, Officer." He then proceeded to make a noise that was probably supposed to sound like a purr, before falling flat on his face.

Lin wrinkled her nose. She looked at Bumi and asked, "This is the sort you hang out with?"

Bumi deflated a little, hurt. "Well…" he tried.

"I'm not surprised," she added. "You always did know how to pick 'em."

The Commander watched her walk away and sighed with dismay. He'd been trying for months to get Lin's attention. In fact he'd only come to this stupid banquet because he'd heard she'd be running security; otherwise he would have been content to sit at home with Kya. But instead he'd come here, and then promptly blown his shot.

He looked down at himself and he couldn't blame Lin for not wanting to be around him. He was a wreck, covered in liquor, food, and other unidentifiable stains.

"Boy, what a bitch," Ting Ju said as he picked himself up off the floor. "But damn if she ain't fine."

"Oh, shut up you asshole," Bumi snapped.

Ting Ju raised his eyebrows, caught off guard. Then he lowered them and grinned. "Aw, did I insult your _girlfriend_?"

"Shut up."

"You _do_ like her, then. Well why didn't you say something you old bastard? Wait here - I'll go talk you up."

And before Bumi could protest, Ting was already halfway across the banquet hall, following Lin on her way to meet up with the President. "Oh God," the Commander muttered as he raced after his friend.

"Hey" Ting said when he caught up to Lin. The Police Chief rolled her eyes put her hands on her hips and asked, "What do you want?"

"Now don't be so harsh," the drunk said, running a hand through his grizzled gray hair. "I'm just over here to say that you shouldn't brush old Boomer off so quickly."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, that's so. I mean, it might not seem like it now, but he's a pretty good guy. Me on the other hand…"

Lin watched as the drunk leaned in, grinning like a lech.

"I'm more of a...bad guy. The kind that could use a cop to help him shape up."

The metalbender rolled her eyes so hard it was amazing they managed to come back down. She leaned forward as well, so that the two of them were almost nose to nose. "Listen buster. If I had a yuan for every time I've heard that line, I'd be able to buy off Future Industries." Lin set her gaze and leaned back a bit before adding, "And frankly the only thing I'd ever do for you would be to throw you in a cell."

Ting Ju's grin slid into an annoyed frown. "You really are a bitch," he slurred.

"Thank you."

"I don't know _what_ Bumi sees in you."

Lin paused at this, unsure of what to say. Then she remembered who she was talking to and simply turned to leave.

"Oh, there it is!"

Bumi finally made it over to them; he made good time too, for just at that moment he saw Ting raise his hand toward Lin's rear. The Commander's jaw dropped and without thinking he dove for his friend and the two crashed into a table full of drinks. Several guests screamed and gasped in shock as the table collapsed and half the dance floor was rapidly soaked in rice wine.

"That's it. No more party for you two," Lin said. The two veterans looked up at her, then at each other before passing out from drunkenness.

A few hours later they woke up in a holding cell at Police Headquarters. Bumi, still tipsy, leaned against the wall and sighed. From his place on a bunk, Ting Ju propped himself up and said, "What a bust, huh?"

Bumi didn't reply.

"Aw, come on Big Boomer, don't be so down. This ain't the first time we've been arrested together. And hey, we were having a good time until that last bit."

Bumi ignored him and said, "I wonder how long we're going to be here."

Ting Ju was quiet for a moment before saying, "I'm sorry."

"Was that your idea of talking me up? Slapping her ass?" Bumi stood up, swayed a bit, and recaptured his balance. He glared down at the man who, just a few hours ago, he'd called a friend. "Do you have any idea how important she is to me?"

In a way that seemed rather familiar, Ting Ju flapped his hand at Bumi. "She's just a chick."

"She is not!" Bumi grabbed his fellow drunk by the collar and pulled him in, a grow fixed on his face. "She is a strong, loyal, intelligent, skilled, gorgeous _woman_. Not to mention a better _friend _than you've ever been."

Ting struggled, trying to get Bumi to loosen his grip. "But she treated you like a loser!"

"Because I was acting like one!"

Bumi let him go and went to lean against the bars with a sigh. "I'll be lucky if she ever lets this one go."

"You got that right."

The Commander looked up to see the Chief standing there, frowning at him. He looked down sheepishly and said, "I acted like an ass."

"I agree. And I'm glad to hear you admit it; otherwise I would've considered this a waste of money."

Bumi looked up again. "Huh?"

Lin used her bending to open the cell door and say, "You're free to go."

The wild man stepped out and gave the metalbender a manic grin. "Linny, you're the greatest."

"Two right in the same night, good for you," she said, though he didn't miss the small grin that came with it.

"Hey," Ting Ju said, "what about me?"

"What _about_ you?" Lin retorted. She then dragged Bumi away before he could start feeling guilty.

Once they were outside Bumi turned to her and said, "I'm sorry about...that whole thing. I don't know what it is, but when I'm around my old friends I sometimes get carried away."

"Then maybe you need new friends."

"Yeah. Maybe."

The two stood in silence for a moment, watching cars go by. Bumi tried not to pay attention to loud thumping his heart was making. Or was that a pulse in his head? It was hard to be sure what with how drunk he was.

"Bumi," Lin interrupted his heart related contemplation, "I thought you might want to know that I heard what you said to Ting back there."

"Oh really?" He let that sink in. "Oh...really?"

"Yes. And I wanted you to know that, no matter how stupid you act, I don't think you're a loser."

"Thanks Lin. You really are a great friend."

"And so are you. When you're sober."

He let out a small chuckle and the two gazed at each other. Feeling that he might not get another chance, Bumi asked her, "Do you think we could be more than friends?"

Lin tapped her chin. "Hm...maybe."

"Really?"

"Yes. If you don't mind that I'm kind of a bitch."

"Hey, if you can put with a loser, I can put up with you."

The two grinned at each other and Bumi silently thanked the spirits for giving him a second chance.

Though Ting Ju was released from prison the next day, Bumi never saw him again. He did however think of him while having to repay Raiko for all the glasses they'd broken. It seemed some things never changed. But then, he did have Lin. And wasn't one good friend worth a hundred bad ones?


	23. Staying Alive (NOT A SONG REFERENCE)

"How much farther?" Lin asked, gripping her side as yet another pain shot through it.

"I'm...not really sure," Bumi replied as he gazed across the icy tundra. To be honest, he had no idea how much farther they'd have to go to reach civilization; but he couldn't let Lin know that. Not in her state. "But don't worry - we're gonna be okay."

The pair had been knocked from atop an air bison mid-battle and were now stranded in the outlands of the North Pole. While Bumi had managed to slow his fall using airbending and received only a few minor bruises when he hit, Lin had landed hard and was suffering the consequences. Now they were hobbling across the frozen wasteland, desperately searching for some form of shelter.

"You know, that's not very encouraging?" Lin grunted as she struggled to walk. Exhausted, she rested her head on his shoulder and the Commander adjusted the arm around her waist.

"I know," he said, "but right now it's all I got."

"Well that's terrible news," Lin said, pausing to take a breath.

"What is?"

"That that's all you can come up with to say. I would've expected you to make a joke out of it." She looked up for a moment and met his gaze to say, "After all, aren't you the one who always keeps us laughing?"

"Well, yeah, but aren't you the one who's supposed to keep us alive?"

"And I'm doing my job. If it were up to you we'd still be sitting around back there where we landed."

Bumi rolled his eyes at his friend. "If you weren't so stubborn, we would be sitting around back there. I could have built you a shelter by now."

"Out of what? Snow? Honestly Bumi, I'm fine. I'll just be better once I can see a healer get a little sleep."

"Uh huh," he muttered.

The two restarted their slow awkward partner-walk. Lin kept her head down while Bumi continued to scan the horizon.

"Come on, come on," he muttered to himself. In his arm, Lin shivered.

"Damn, it's cold."

"Precisely why I wear earmuffs."

"Bumi, those things are so stupid looking."

"Oh my God…"

"What? I'm sorry if it hurts your feelings, but it's the truth: earmuffs are-."

"Not that," Bumi interrupted her. He pointed off the left and when Lin followed his point, she too saw a dark shape in the distance. She caught her breath and asked, "What do you think it is?"

The Commander shook his head and said, "I don't know." He then looked up; the snowflakes were starting fall faster, harder and more often. "But I do know that we're going to find out."

It took them a while, but they made the trek toward the shape. A few yards away it became clear that it was a shack of some sort. "Looks like an old ice fishing hut," Bumi said, calling back memories of his days learning to hunt and fish in frozen parts with his Uncle Sokka.

"Looks abandoned," Lin grunted.

"Yeah," Bumi agreed, "but I wouldn't be surprised if there were still some supplies in it."

They got to the door and Bumi kicked it open to reveal a rather shabby abode. The only features the little hut had to offer was a bench, a moldy cot tucked in the corner and box in the center of the floor which mostly likely covered the fishing hole.

"Well, at least it's wind resistant," the veteran said as he shut the door behind him. "Come on Lin, let's get you over there.

The metalbender didn't answer.

"Lin?" Bumi took a closer look at his unresponsive friend and found that she'd fallen asleep on her feet. "Lin!"

Without a moment's hesitation he swept her off her feet and took her to the cot. As gently as possible he laid her down before placing a finger to her neck. Upon finding a pulse he hung his head with relief.

"You scared me," he whispered.

"Sorry."

The Commander looked up to see her staring at him. Her normally leafy green eyes, normally bright and pointed, were dull with fatigue. In answer to her apology Bumi shook his head slowly, forcing a little smile.

"Don't you worry about it, Linny," he said softly, stroking her cheek with his thumb. "I know you're tired. But now I need you to me a favor; I need to check out your injury-"

"I know, I know," the metalbender said, holding up a limp hand. "I'll do it, but I don't want to."

Bumi opened her coat for her and the injured woman winced at the feel of the cold rushing in. Slowly, she raised her arms at the elbow and used her bending to unhook her belt. Then with a sharp gasp she lifted her arms off the bed and the front plate of her armor swung up and over her head.

"Keep your eyes on the wound, mister," Lin commanded as Bumi slid her tank top up. He grinned and said, "I'll do my best."

His amusement stopped when he found the source of Lin's pain. The flesh on one side of her ribs was swollen, with purple rapidly spreading underneath her skin. He also noticed a small lump in the center.

"How bad is it?" Lin asked, staring up at the ceiling.

Bumi licked his lips and asked, "What kind of answer do you want?"

"Be at least half honest."

"Not...not too bad."

Lin closed her eyes and grimaced. "You're such a terrible liar."

"On the contrary: I am an excellent liar."

About an hour later, Bumi stepped outside the shack to get some air. Lin was inside resting after having to endure being splinted. She'd fallen asleep uncomfortably fast. Out in the cold, Bumi looked at the horizon once more.

"What am I gonna do?" he whispered. They needed shelter and food, but most importantly Lin needed medical attention. She was weak enough as it was; she should've been taken care of hours ago. If anything happened to her… Bumi pressed his palms into his eyes and groaned.

"Something. I'm gonna do something."

He went back in and looked around the shack once more. This time he noticed a door tucked behind the bench. He opened it to find a tiny closet, only two feet deep. And in that two feet he found a broken dog sled, some rope, an old canvas and a threadbare coat.

After surveying the supplies, Bumi paused and looked over at Lin. He observed the movement of her chest as it rose and fell with her breath, and every now and then there would be a small catch in her chest. The Commander set his resolve and murmured, "Looks like it's my turn to keep us alive.

He wasted no time. First he broke the bench and used the wood to repair the paneling on the sled. He tied the canvas on with the rope and readied the craft for motion. The hard part was lifting Lin again; she groaned in protest and shivered from pain and cold.

"Just leave me and get me later," she mumbled.

"No chance," he said simply as he set her down. He pulled off his United Forces coat and put it over her, pushing her arms into the sleeves. With disgust he pulled on the moldy coat from the closet and shivered.

"I don't want to do this," he moaned as he opened the door. The full force of the blizzard smacked him in the face. The cold washed over him and stung his eyes. "I don't even know which way to go anymore…"

In trying to warm his hands he reached into the coat's pockets. His eyes widened and his heart leapt when he felt a small, round shape in one pocket. Could it be… Yes!

"Compass! Thank you fishermen!"

He tapped the device and quickly determined that, as luck would have it, they needed to travel with the storm.

"Great news Linny," he said gently as he knelt to talk to her one more time before they headed out. "If I estimated right we should see civilization in less than an hour. Ain't that great?"

"Mmm…"

Worry crept into his bones and he forced himself to swallow before he said something he shouldn't. "That's okay; you rest for now."

Bumi pushed the sled outside and double checked everything. If things worked the way he planned, this contraption would work the way a sand sail did in the desert. He just had to hope the sail would hold the way he'd tied it; he'd had to forgo the mast.

Just before push-off the Commander heard his companion murmur, "Bumi?"

He leaned over and said, speaking up over the storm, "Yeah?"

"I need to tell you...that I…"

She struggled and tried to turn to him, but he held her and hushed her gently. "Tell me later, honey," he said, and wrapped his scarf around her neck. "We'll have plenty of time later."

With that, she settled back and the airbender filled the makeshift sail and shoved off.

The night was a frozen, windy blur. The only thing Bumi would remember later was a glow growing on the horizon and the feeling of hands embracing him when he reached it. The last thing he said before falling unconscious was, "Take care of her first…"

In the morning he woke up with a healer beside him, working to fix the circulation in his hands.

"Good morning, Sir!" She gave him a sweet grin, the kind that was too big and made you want to punch the person. "And how are we this morning?"

Too tired to roll his eyes, Bumi mumbled, "Where is she?"

"Oh, you mean the woman you came in with? She's resting. She came in pretty banged up, but our healers are top-notch."

Bumi grunted and rested his head. As long as she was okay…

"Also, Sir, another member of our staff recognized the two of you and radioed for you to be picked up by your family."

"That's great...thanks…so, uh, when can I go see her?"

She let go of his hand before saying, "As soon as you feel up to it!"

At this Bumi jumped out of bed and staggered to the door, with the young healer chasing after him saying, "Not so fast!"

He stumbled down the hall looking in all the rooms before he found her. The Commander collapsed in the chair next to her and said, "Hey, Linny. How goes it?"

She didn't answer; she was too deep in sleep.

"That's great. Real great. Can't tell you how happy I am this is all over."

He reached over and brushed a strand of hair away from her face. In a calmer tone he said, "Can't tell you how happy I am to see you alive…"

The airbender took his hand back and watched her for a few minutes, taking her in. Even injured and sleeping, she looked ready face anything. That was one of the things he loved about her.

Wait, did he just say loved?

"Bumi…"

Her whisper broke into his thoughts and he leaned closer again. "Yeah, honey?"

Her eyelids slid half-open and she looked at him carefully. "Are we dead?"

"Nope."

"Are you sure?"

"Pretty sure."

"Okay," she said and closed her eyes. After a minute she asked, eyes still closed, "Bumi?"

"Yes?"

"If you saved my life...does that mean it's my turn to make you laugh?"

"I guess so."

"Okay. Do you have a mirror? One look in that and you'll bust a gut."

He laughed. "Do I look that bad?"

"Yes. But I probably look worse."

"Nah," he said, "you could never look bad."

They were quiet for another minute.

"Bumi?"

"What now?"

"Thank you."

"...don't thank me."

"Before I passed out...I was going to tell you something. I was going to say that...all you've done means a lot to me. And you're a great friend. And…I think I might like you. Y'know what I mean?"

"…"

"Bumi?"

"Zzzz.."

Lin opened her eyes to find him slumped in his chair, asleep. She rolled her eyes.

"Guess I'll tell you later."

Just as she fell asleep he cracked an eyelid and grinned mischievously. He couldn't wait to hear that one again.

* * *

**To Panic: No problem! Actually going into that one I hadn't planned for the jail scene, but instead it just sort of happened. I actually plan to reuse that bit later, in a different way. Also were you the one who asked for one where one of them is unconscious? I think you were. As always I appreciate the suggestions; it's not always easy to come up with ideas.**

**And that goes for anybody else who has an idea for a chapter! I may or may not decide to use it, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't throw it out there.**

**Yeah so, Episode 11... After that I think we all need a little humor in our lives. Gonna try and make tomorrow's a funny one. (Try, mind you, as humor is not my forte.) Anyways, thanks for the feedback! As always you guys are great. You make it so worth the stress!**


	24. A Little Too Honest

"And that's how I came up with the recipe for Varri-cakes!"

Having finished his story, Varrick tossed back another round of punch while his guests looked on in shock and disgust. The millionaire wiped his mouth before asking, "So, who wants dessert?"

Naturally everyone passed, instead opting to just drink the punch Varrick had brought which looked safe enough. Bumi gulped down a glass and looked around the table. Varrick had decided to throw a relatively small yacht party, so it the guest list contained Korra, Mako, Bolin, Asami, Tenzin, Kya, Bumi, Lin and of course Varrick's assistant, Zhu Li.

Bumi gulped down some punch and leaned over to his brother to ask, "So when does the 'special entertainment' start?"

Tenzin shrugged and said, "I have no idea."

"Who cares," Kya interjected, holding up a glass, "when we've got this stuff to drink? Hey Varrick, how about another round?"

"Sorry, but that's the last one for everybody," the playboy announced, jumping up again. "For now it is time to reveal what tonight's special entertainment is!"

"Oh, is it a magician?" Bolin asked. "Or a ventriloquist? Or animals! Please say animals!"

"Close but no," Varrick said as he somehow miraculously popped up next to Bolin. "Tonight's entertainment is: US!"

Everyone looked around at one another before staring at Varrick in confusion.

"What do you mean us?" Mako asked.

"I'm glad you asked that Mako!" Varrick popped up next to the young cop. "I needed a volunteer and you'll do perfectly. Zhu Li, take note of this!"

Zhu Li whipped out a clipboard and waited patiently as Varrick got in Mako's face and asked, "So Mako, you're a nice guy. Well, at least a pretty nice guy. Point is you aren't a total jerk."

Mako rolled his eyes. "Gee, thanks Varrick."

"Don't mention it! Anyway, I'm sure a guy like you has pretty nice manners. But, and let's be honest here, we all have our dirty little habits. What are yours?"

Mako raised his eyebrows and leaned away from the rich man. All eyes were now on him. The young firebender cleared his throat and defiantly said, "Like I'd ever tell you that I secretly bite my toenails and then shove them under Bolin's bed."

Everyone was quiet for a few seconds before they erupted with laughter. Mako's cheeks flared pink and Bolin's jaw dropped in horror.

"Why would you do that?" he asked of his brother. "What did my bed do to you?"

"I-I-I…"

"Aw, don't be so hard on him Bolin," Varrick said to his friend. "I'm sure you have your secrets too."

"Well yeah, but nothing as disgusting as that," the earthbender claimed. "I mean that's ten times worse than the fact that I have a box full of teeth in my sock drawer."

The boy slapped a hand over his mouth, shocked at what he'd said.

"Teeth?" Asami questioned.

"Random teeth that I find in the street after fights. I also got some out of the Probending Arena. And there's Pabu's baby teeth and OH MY GOD WHY AM I TELLING YOU PEOPLE THIS?!"

"Because you have to!" Varrick jumped on the table as the laughter died down a bit. "You see, ladies and gents, what you've been drinking all evening is my special soon to be patented Varri-truth Serum!"

"Truth Serum?" Lin held her glass up to the light and looked at it critically. "You mean if we drink this stuff-"

"You got it Chief," Varrick said. "No one in this room will be able to tell a lie or keep a secret for the next hour, not even me! Zhu Li alone will be the only one able to hold back from the madness."

"Oh my God," Kya said, dropping her glass with a thunk.

"Why would you make something like that?" Korra asked.

"Simple: I don't like being lied to. So whenever I'm in the middle of a business deal all I have to do is whip out some of this, get them to drink it and I'm set!"

"But why would you serve it to us?" Bumi implored. The Commander was starting to sweat nervously and was trying his hardest not to look at Lin.

"Oh, that," Varrick said, dropping back into his seat. "I've been trying to come up with comedic story lines for my movers, but found that I none of it seemed genuine. So, I popped by the shop, picked up a bottle of this stuff-" he showed off the large bottle of purple liquid "-and decided to throw a party. With this many close friends stuck on a boat, I figured we were bound to come up with something."

At this point Tenzin was worked up enough that he was on the verge of turning purple. "How dare you drug us like this!"

"Oh yeah, Mr. Family Man?" Varrick kicked up his feet and asked of Tenzin, "Too bad the wife and kids couldn't come tonight. Don't you wish they were here?"

Tenzin glared at Varrick. "As a matter of fact," he said proudly, "no! I haven't slept well in eight weeks and I'm glad to have a break."

Everyone snickered as realization came across the airbender's face and he blushed horribly.

"Well," Korra said casually, "I'm not worried. I don't have anything to hide."

"Are you sure?" Varrick asked, leaning toward her on one elbow.

The Avatar nodded. "Yeah. I mean, sure, there's the fact that Naga ate Tenzin's favorite potted plant, but I'd never admit that." Korra pursed her lips and slowly looked over at her master who was now definitely purple.

"Oh no," Asami said, putting her hands to her face. "I hope I don't tell anyone that I pick my nose when I think no one is looking." She gasped and covered her mouth.

"Oh, calm down everyone," Kya said, gesturing for them to relax. "It's all in your head. You just need to tell yourselves that this serum stuff isn't real. Take me for example: I know I don't need to admit to hating Tenzin's moustache!"

"You hate my moustache?" Tenzin looked at his sister, appalled.

"Um…" Kya struggled a minute before sighing, "Yes."

"I hate his moustache too," Korra said.

"Me too," Lin agreed, "it makes him look older."

"I hate it too. That's why I never grew one," Bumi said.

Tenzin looked around, worried all of a sudden. "Does _everyone _hate it?"

A chorus of yeses and nos went up amongst the group.

"I wish I could grow a moustache, but I can't," Bolin said.

"I can, but it looks like a caterpillar died on my lip," said Mako.

Bumi spoke up, "I once dated a woman with a moustache." When the others looked at him oddly he said, "What? She kept it well groomed. Unlike Kya, who went a few years without washing her hair."

"I was experimenting with dreadlocks," the waterbender said in her defense. "I don't know why I told you that."

"I don't know why Mako told me that part of why he never took his scarf off was because he had a really bad rash on his neck."

"Bolin!"

"What?"

"Okay, this is getting out of hand," Lin said. "The more worked up you get, the more secrets you admit too."

"Looks like Chief Crankypants figured out the formula," Varrick teased.

Lin glared at the playboy. "I ought to arrest you for giving us this stuff; a case could be made for unlawful drug use. Fortunately for you I won't because there's a part of me that finds this all very amusing."

"Excuse me?" Bumi spoke up as the metalbender clenched her jaw. He grinned at her and sly asked, "Is that a sense of humor I heard trying to break out of that sexy body of yours?"

Several jaws dropped at that one, including Tenzin's. "Did you just call her sexy?"

"Well yeah, she is," Bumi said, desperately trying to cover his mouth and shut himself up. Lin looked away in embarrassment.

Varrick rubbed his hands together in excitement. "Now we're getting to the good stuff!"

Everyone sat there looking at one another uneasily. Varrick pouted in annoyance. "Oh, come on people! Alright, I'll get it started: Who here has ever done in it a public place?"

Korra, Bolin, Lin, Bumi, Kya and Varrick all raised their hands. Mako's eyes widened. "Bolin? You?"

"You'd be surprised how few people go into that closet in the gym," Bolin said, grinning sheepishly.

"What about you Lin?" Kya asked, elbowing her friend. "Me I did it behind a tree at a music festival once; where'd a no nonsense gal like you find yourself?"

"Better question is with who," Tenzin added.

"Not you, that's for sure," Lin said with a pointed glare at her ex.

Bumi snickered and elbowed his brother. "Burn!"

"Oh, shut up," Tenzin snapped at him. "You once tried to impress a girl by shaving her name into the back of your head!"

"Oh yeah?" Bumi retorted. "Well Lin told me back when you were dating that you once wore a thong to try and impress her!"

"My brain...," Korra groaned. Several others balked at this frightening imagery. Tenzin went red and wheeled around to look at his ex.

"WHY WOULD YOU TELL HIM THAT?"

"Because," Lin said matter-of-factly, "Bumi is a very good friend and I trust him. Back then I didn't have anyone I could talk to about certain things, so whenever he was in town I'd talk to him."

"So you told him about the stuff I did?" Tenzin was fuming. "Did you happen to mention that you have a flower tattooed on your outer thigh?"

"She did not," Bumi said, trying not to make it too obvious that he was now trying to picture this in his mind.

"I have a tattoo as well!" Varrick announced. "It's a leopardseal and it happens to be right in the center of my left buttcheek!" The millionaire blinked before saying, "Zhu Li, scratch that from the record."

Things wore on and many more embarrassing secrets were spilled, from birthmarks and bad habits to ex-lovers and escapades. Finally, fifty minutes in, things devolved into absolute chaos.

"I have this weird mole that won't go away!"

"One time I pretended to be a hobo in order to get free food!

"I once threw up in a closet at a party and then didn't tell the owner!"

"The last time I visited the Fire Nation I got drunk and woke up in the attic of a topless bar with a clown laying next to me!"

"I'm afraid of clowns!"

"Me too! And gardeners!"

Through all of this Bumi had bitten his tongue countless times, trying to prevent his real secret from coming out. Every time he came close he immediately thought of something else and blurted that out instead. But he was running out of secrets, and if that sexy comment had leaked out that easily, he wasn't sure how he was going to hold up.

_Just five more minutes,_ he pleaded with himself, _you can make it five more minutes…_

"Bumi?" Tenzin turned to his brother and tried to talk over all the commotion.

"Yeah?"

"I want to ask you a question. Do you recall how you called Lin…"sexy" earlier?"

The Commander gripped the table and looked away, the feel of sweat pooling on his neck. "Yeah? What about it?"

"Do you secretly like her?"

And there it was. With all the effort he could muster, the veteran clenched his jaw and pressed his lips together. He felt the serum gurgling in his stomach and pressing through him, trying to force the answer to come out. Shaking, he looked up to see that Lin had heard and was staring at him, her green eyes staring in wonder.

The two held each other's gaze, her sitting resolute while he became more and more of a wreck as the minutes ticked by.

As soon as Varrick announced that they'd reached the two-minute mark, Bumi stood up and shouted, "I need some air!" He stood up, hopped over his sister, ran past Lin and shoved Zhu Li aside to get to the stairs.

Once he was on the deck Bumi ran to the railing and leaned over it, gasping for air. In the cold of the night, with no one else in earshot he shouted his answer:

"YES!"

The poor man collapsed against the rail and sank to his knees as the serum let go its hold. Still shaking, he muttered, "Dammit Varrick. How much longer?"

"I think we only have a minute and thirty seconds left."

Bumi jumped at the sound of Lin's voice and turned to see the Chief walking slowly towards him.

"So," she said as she reached him. Without looking at him the metalbender stepped closer and gripped the railing.

"So what?" he asked, trying to joke.

"So, you called me sexy. Why'd you do that?"

Bumi sighed. "I thought it. And I'm sorry; I didn't mean for it to come out that way."

She turned to him slowly and asked, "What do you mean?"

The Commander gripped the back of his neck and looked off to the side, nervous. "I mean...I didn't mean for it to sound so rude or cheap or whatever. I meant that...I think you're…" He struggled for a minute, caught between the serum telling him to be honest and his instincts telling him to jump overboard.

That is, until he looked up and caught her gaze again. She didn't look worried or like she'd judge him once he answered. Lin looked curious. She looked, like him, a little nervous. And most of all she looked…

"Beautiful," he murmured. "I think you're beautiful."

"Oh," she said, her eyes stretching just a bit. She turned her head, trying to hide her discomfort at the compliment. "Thank you…I appreciate that, even though it makes me...ill at ease."

"Why does it make you ill at ease."

"Because I don't hear compliments like that very often and when I do it's usually a joke."

"Well, I'm being honest."

The pair snorted at this all-too-true statement. They stood in silence for a moment, looking at the water. The moon was nearly full tonight and was casting a soft glow over the waves. A light breeze rippled their hair and sent a small chill through them, and they stepped closer to one another.

Gathering up his courage, Bumi said, "Lin?"

"Yes?"

"There's one other thing I wanted to tell you. Before this stuff wears off and I get too chicken."

"Well then, what is it?"

"Lin Beifong," he said turning to her, "I-"

"TIME'S UP!"

The two jumped and looked over at the spot where Varrick had seemingly appeared out of thin air.

"The serum will now have worn off anything anybody on this ship says or does will be completely of their own volition!" The playboy looked back and forth between the two before adding, "But don't mind me! You two get back to what you were doing!"

As he raced for the stairs that led below deck, Varrick shouted, "Zhu Li! We have enough material! Let's go write the thing!"

As Varrick left Lin and Bumi stood on the deck, their feeling of peaceful serenity quickly fading.

"Well," said Lin, drawing in a breath, "I suppose that's that." She looked at her companion. "Did you still want to say something?"

When Bumi didn't reply Lin nodded but looked away, unable to completely hide her disappointment.

"I see. Well, I won't keep you."

Just before she could leave, he grabbed her hand.

"I love you."

Lin stopped in her tracks."

"I love you," he repeated. "I love you so much. I've loved you for so long. I was so jealous when you were dating Tenzin; every time I saw you together it tore me apart. And I understand if you don't feel the same way…" Bumi licked his lips before finishing, "But I had to tell you."

The metalbender didn't say anything at first, but just stood there holding his hand in a loose grip. After a moment a smile came to her face and she laughed a little.

"What's so funny?" Bumi asked, worried.

"That you liked me back then," she replied, turning to him. "You see, in the beginning, I only dated Tenzin because it was what everyone expected, and he was my friend, and...you weren't around. You'd gone to the United Forces. And then of course I fell in love with him and you know the rest."

She didn't look up, instead staring at their joined hands.

"Funny isn't it?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"Yeah," he whispered, "pretty funny."

A moment later she was in his arms, her face pressed into his chest as they hugged one another.

"You know I love you too?" she whispered.

"Really? Honest?"

Lin snorted at his joke and looked up to meet his pale eyes, which were filled with unspoken happiness.

"Honest," she said before kissing him.

Varrick would later go on to declare the party a major success which, for different reasons, Lin and Bumi agreed with. However, other than that one exception, the guests would later agree to _never_ speak of that night again. After all, some things are better left a secret.

**To TheGeekyWriter: Um... Yes. Yes I do.**

**To Atarah Derek: Why thank you for the Trope related compliment! That is really quite nice.**

**This one was fuuuuuuun. Hehehe... Anyways, here you all are, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy the lovely reviews!**


	25. Paranoia

Commander Bumi kicked the sidewalk in front of him in frustration. On a nice autumn day like this, most people had no reason to be frustrated; but not him. No, he had one perfect reason - and its name was Lin Beifong.

"Honestly Bum Ju, what am I going to do with her?" the veteran asked of his little spirit friend.

"_Scree?_"

"Well, I mean, she's just so...stubborn!"

"_Scree._"

"Yes, I know I'm stubborn too, but that's not the point."

"_Scree._"

Bumi stopped in his tracks and stared at his companion, mouth agape. "Now that's just rude!"

Bum Ju flitted around a bit before landing on a bench and gesturing for Bumi to sit next to him. Bumi sighed and sat and half-listened to what the spirit thought. He focused the other half of his mind on looking around the park. After arguing with Lin while walking her to her work this morning he'd needed to go somewhere and blow off some steam. And where better than Republic City Park?

"I will _not_ apologize," the Commander said, turning back to his spirit companion.

"_Scree?_"

"Because I didn't do anything wrong. All I did was try hold her hand and kiss her goodbye; she's the one who pushed me away. If she can't handle public displays of affection then she needs to learn to get used to it."

Bum Ju pressed his little bunny paws into his eyes and let out a small frustrated trill. He then picked himself up and flew off.

"Oh, fine, go back to the Island. See if I care!"

Bumi watched and pouted as his friend flew off, leaving him alone on the bench. "Let's see," he said to himself, "girlfriend mad at me? Check. Spirit friend mad at me? Check. Family mad at me? I actually don't know, but experience says check."

The wild man sighed and leaned his head back. It was times like these when he wondered what happened to his carefree days of running around with random people doing the craziest things they could think of. As he watched the clouds drift by a part of him wished for those days to come back.

"Excuse me, Sir, but is this seat taken?"

Bumi sat up to see a beautiful woman about his age dressed in fine clothing standing there, gesturing to the seat next to him. It took a few seconds for him to reply, "That seat? Uh, no."

"Oh, good," she said as she closed her parasol and sat. "I wasn't expecting it to be so warm and-"

She stopped and gave him a long, hard look which he returned. Then the pair balked.

"Bumi?"

"Nita?"

The two laughed and stumbled over each other with utterances of "I barely recognized you!" and "What are the odds?"

"I can't believe it," Bumi said, shifting his body to face her full on. "How long's it been? Thirty years?"

"Oh, longer than that, I'm sure," she said with a smile. Her dark brown eyes looked him up and down before adding, "I see you joined the United Forces - just like you said you would."

"And I see you came into money," the Commander teased, gesturing at her finery. "Just like _you_ said you would.

Nita swatted a hand at him playfully. "You were always such a teaser. Honestly I don't know how we ever put up with you."

"Put up with me? Why Nita, I'll have you know I was the very heart of our little group."

"Heart? No. Some other body parts, maybe, but not the heart."

The two laughed and began reminiscing over old times. They talked about the adventures they'd gone on with their other friends, from midnight sailing to bar hopping.

"I remember you could hold your liquor better than any of the other girls," said Bumi.

"And I remember you were always one of the bravest, always jumping in when there was a fight."

"Yeah," Bumi said, looking off nostalgically. "Those were some good times. Say, have you heard from anyone else in the old gang lately?"

Nita propped her elbow up on the back of the bench and leaned her still-dark head of hair against her fist. "Let me think," she said, biting her lip. "I know that Butch is in jail-

"Well that's not a surprise."

She snorted before continuing, "And Narruk and Ruby tied the knot a few decades after we split up the group - that's actually why I'm here in the city; to visit them for their anniversary. Other than that I don't know."

"Well, where are my manners?" Bumi said, standing up. "I've talked to you for twenty minutes and I haven't asked you a thing about yourself." He gestured toward the path and with his usually friendly grin said, "Care to walk and talk?"

"Why, I'd like nothing better!"

A few hours later, Lin Beifong found herself downtown on official police business.

"I'll have the orange chicken to go, please."

She and the other metal benders were on their lunch break after intercepting a grand-scale bank robbery, complete with hostages. After that stressful situation they all deserved a break.

Lin received her order and took it outside while the guys crowded into the restaurant. The Chief leaned against one of the squad cars and started eating, watching the traffic as it passed by her. She did her best to try to focus on the people walking by and what they were doing, looking out for any hypothetical dangerous situations. But of course, this was impossible. Right now she had Bumi on the brain.

The metalbender still couldn't get over it. He, her boyfriend, who knew how she felt about these things, had tried to open-mouth kiss her right in front of Police Headquarters. First of all, she didn't like public display of affection, period. And second, doing that in front of her colleagues was just unprofessional.

"'Show how I feel' my ass," she muttered into her food. He'd only done it to mess with her, which made it even worse.

Lin huffed and went back to watching traffic. Her problems with her boyfriend would have to be dealt with later, she decided. Of course her tone on the matter changed when she happened to noticed that, across the street at an outdoor café, Bumi was sitting and eating lunch with an attractive, well dressed woman. The Chief felt the world slow around her as she watched the two laugh together at some private joke.

"Oh, hell no," she muttered.

Just as she was trying to decide what to do, Lin was forced to witness as the stranger playfully held up a piece of food, to which the Commander opened his jaw wide, accepting the morsel straight from her fingers.

"Oh _hell _no!"

"Hey Chief?" Captain Saikhan had just come out of the shop and was now studying the enraged face of his boss. "Are you alright?"

Without answering Lin set her food down and started across the street, ignoring the busy traffic. Saikhan called after her, "Where are you going?"

"To commit murder. Don't worry, I'll be back in time for the office party."

Eyes locked on target, Lin made it to the other side of the street and stomped down the sidewalk, her green eyes doing their best to burn a hole into the back of Bumi's head. People near her jumped out of the way of the angry law enforcement officer. Finally she reached them and the stranger glanced up at her, an innocent smile on her face.

"Can we help you Officer?"

Lin gritted her teeth. "Perhaps."

At the sound of her voice Bumi turned in his chair. Lin waited for him to looked shocked or ashamed, but instead he just smiled up at her, as if him going out with a strange woman was nothing out of the ordinary.

"Well, hey there Linny," Bumi said happily. "What are you doing here?"

Lin's eye twitched as she buried her nails into the palm of her fist, trying to keep calm. "There was a robbery in the area. After we apprehended and booked the assailants, the rest of the team decided they needed lunch."

Bumi shook his head at her, still grinning. "All in a day's work for you, isn't it Linny?"

"Yes, I suppose so…" She trailed off, unsure of where this casual talk was going. The Chief looked at Bumi's companion and said, "Hello. I don't believe we've met."

The woman blinked her huge brown eyes and continued to give Lin that same innocent smile. "No, I don't believe we have," she said in the most friendly of tones.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Bumi apologized, standing up. "I keep forgetting my manners. Lin, this is Nita, an old friend of mine; we used to run around together when we were teenagers. Nita, this is-"

"Chief Lin Beifong," Lin broke in, sticking her hand out. Nita shook it and said, "Why, yes, Bumi was just telling me about you."

"Really?" Lin said, glancing at her boyfriend.

"'Course," he said, still giving her that same goofy smile. "You know I love to brag about you."

"Why don't you join us?" Nita asked and gestured toward the empty chair.

Lin looked back and forth between the two. She'd come over here expecting a big confrontation, but it was becoming clear that it wouldn't be necessary. Still a bit uncomfortable she said, "Well...I can only stay for a minute."

She sat down and Nita got up to get a refill. While she was gone Lin turned to Bumi and coolly said, "She seems nice."

Bumi shrugged and sipped his drink. "Yeah, she's alright. We were pretty close back in the day."

"How close?"

The Commander paused mid-sip and turned to her. The metalbender was leaning back in her chair, arms crossed over her chest.

"Close enough," he said carefully. Lin looked away, dropping the subject. "So," Bumi said, "I was hoping we could talk about what happened this morning over dinner tonight."

Lin glanced away guiltily before admitting, "I can't go to dinner."

"What?" Bumi furrowed his brow. "Lin, you promised."

"Well, it's not my fault," the Chief said defensively, "they're having a party at the office and I have to go for a little while. And then I have a business dinner with President Raiko."

Bumi sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Well, there goes my evening…"

"What's that?" Nita had returned with her drink and sat down close to Bumi. The Commander turned to her and said, dejected, "Looks like my evening just got freed up."

"Oh, well that's perfect," she said, setting her drink on the table. "Now you can go with me to the party!"

"Party? What party?" Lin felt panic coming over her.

"Hey you're right," Bumi said and turned to Lin. "Some of our old friends are having this anniversary thing. I told Nita I couldn't go because we had plans, but now that I'm free I can go. I mean if you don't mind my going."

"Oh, I'm sure Lin doesn't have a problem with it," Nita said while Bumi waited for his girlfriend to answer. The older woman leaned closer to her companion and put one arm around him and the other hand on his chest. "After all, it's just going to be a bunch of friends sitting around, talking…"

"Drinking," Bumi added with a grin.

"Drinking?" Lin asked blankly. That didn't sound good, but she was even more worried about the way Nita kept _touching_ Bumi. The Chief's eyes were fixated on the way Nita's fingers were stroking his shoulder in small circles.

Nita lifted the hand and waved it a little to say, "Oh, don't worry Lin. I'll make sure and take _good _care of him."

As a woman Lin was aware of the cultural phenomenon known as Bitch language. This language consisted of backhanded compliments, double meanings and two-sided implications through body language. And while Lin wasn't normally one to partake in such petty things she knew how to recognize it; and Nita's body language, tone, and the way she said 'good' all screamed: "I'M A BITCH!"

"Um…" Lin stumbled for something to say while Bumi looked on expectantly, unaware of the silent conversation passing between the two females.

"Hey Chief!"

Lin turned to see Saikhan waving at her from across the street. "I have to go," she murmured.

Bumi stood up and tried to go in for a hug but Lin, conscious of the officers watching them patted him on the chest instead. The wild man rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Can I go or what?"

The metalbender was trapped. She could either say no and be the bitchy girlfriend or say yes and quite possibly not be a girlfriend anymore. She looked back and forth between Bumi and Saikhan, who was still waiting on her. Then she looked at Nita. The wealthy woman had stood up as well and had a hand resting on Bumi's shoulder. Her smile was gone, and her normally cheerful expression had been replaced with a dare.

Lin hardened her resolve. If this was the way it was going to be, then she was game.

"Sure, I don't care," she said bluntly. "Have a good time."

Then she whirled around and marched across the street. When she reached the car Saikhan noticed her expression and asked, "What's going on?"

"Just drive," Lin said and crawled into the passenger seat. She looked across the street where the pair were paying the check.

"You okay?" Saikhan asked as he got in the driver's seat.

Lin watched as Bumi offered Nita his arm, to which the woman accepted, and the two walked away arm in arm.

"Drive," Lin snapped, and Saikhan did so.

Later at President Raiko's home, Lin was having an internal panic attack. While Raiko's wife, Buttercup, had been babbling about her new garden, the poor Chief had allowed countless images of Nita wrapping herself around Bumi to enter her mind.

"Lin, are you alright?" Buttercup leaned over to her, examining her expression.

"Yes I just...would like to use the phone."

Buttercup directed her to it and Lin excused herself when she reached the phone, the Chief hesitated before dialing. She held the receiver to her ear and stepped closer to the voice tube. After a few minutes a groggy voice answered, "Hello?"

"Su?"

"Lin?"

On her end, Lin's younger sister rubbed her eyes and asked, "What's going on? You never call this late."

"Oh, I just felt like checking in."

"In the middle of the night?"

"Yeah! So, how's the family?"

"Pretty good," Su said suspiciously. "The twins have started a new team for Powerdisc and Huan-"

"SU HE'S LEAVING ME!"

Su jumped and cleared her head before going back to the phone. "What?"

Breathing heavily Lin poured out the entire story, from the fight they'd had to Nita and the party.

"You should've seen her," Lin growled, "putting her hands all over him, winking… Take care of him my ass; she _wants _him!"

"Honey," Su said as she pulled a chair close and sat down, "slow down. I'm trying to understand this… So this woman he used to be friends with showed up out of nowhere and the second she found out Bumi was available for the evening she snatched him up?"

"Yes."

"And she likes to hold his hand and stroke his arm in front of you?"

"Yes."

"And she smiles too much?"

"Yes!"

"Well, she sounds like a textbook bitch."

"That's what I'm saying!"

"But Lin, that's no reason for you to be so paranoid. Bumi loves you a lot; he wouldn't ruin things for some random person he hasn't seen in years."

"But Su!" At this point Lin was on the verge of a full-blown freak out. "You don't understand! This morning we had a fight and I pushed him away and then I did it again right in front of her. He's always trying to be affectionate, but you know I don't like that! What if he decides he wants someone who isn't so frigid? Someone like her that loves touching him in public?"

"Lin…"

"Because that's how it happens. They have a problem and instead of trying to work through it they just move on and leave you in the dust!"

"Lin, this isn't about some other woman, is it?"

The Chief didn't answer for a few moments. Finally she answered, voice shaking, "Well that's how it happened the last time…"

Su closed her eyes and winced, wishing more than anything that she could be with her sister to comfort her. As it was she said, "Lin, Bumi is not Tenzin. The problems the two of you have are very different."

"I know. It's just...that was the hardest part. That he cheated on me. He could've broken it off and then been with her, but instead he lied to me." Lin took in a sharp breath, trying desperately to hold herself together. "And then I was dumb enough to try to forgive him. _Then_ he dumped me."

"I know," Su murmured gently, "and I'm sorry. But if you're this worried about it, you need to talk to Bumi."

Lin pressed a hand to her face and breathed slowly. "I know...I know… I will as soon as I see him next."

"Good. And honey?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm so glad you called me."

"Me too. Love you, sis."

"Love you too."

The sisters said goodbye and Lin leaned against the wall with a sigh. "I just hope by the time I see he won't have already…" She stopped herself from finishing the sentence, pulled herself together and went back to the dinner.

A few hours later Bumi stumbled up the steps and banged on the door of Lin's apartment.

"Please be home…"

The door opened and Bumi threw himself on Lin.

"Oh, baby, I missed you," he slurred.

"Bumi," Lin said, struggling to get him inside, "please use your feet."

"It was awful," he cried and collapsed on the couch, pulling her down with him. The Commander shook his head, frowning in disgust. "A bunch of old people drinking and talking about nothing but old times. Like nothing good has happened to them since they were teenagers."

"Gee, I would've thought it would be a lot of fun, what with _Nita_ being there…"

Noting her tone, Bumi looked up to find Lin giving him a pointed look.

"Aw, honey, nothing happened," the wild man said while rolling his eyes.

"Well excuse me for worrying," Lin said gritting her teeth. She looked at her hands and said, "I'd think you of all people would understand why I'd be concerned."

The two were quiet for a moment. Finally Bumi said, "She tried to kiss me."

Lin felt her stomach drop. "And?"

"And it made me think about what you said, about boundaries and stuff."

"What do you mean?" She met his eyes again.

"I mean," he sighed, putting a hand on hers, "I'm sorry I tried to embarrass you in front of your coworkers. I won't do again."

"Oh...well for what it's worth, I'm sorry I pushed you away."

Their apologies were genuine, but felt empty as the two looked in separate directions, unable to face the other. Finally, slowly, they turned to each other

It was like someone had held back two magnets and had finally let them go, sending them crashing into one another. In about thirty seconds they were wrapped in each others arms kissing as if their lives depended on it. If anyone had walked in they would've thought they were trying to swallow one another.

After a minute they had to come up for air and Bumi panted, "Don't you...ever worry...about me leaving you."

"And don't you think I push you away because I don't care," Lin replied as pulled his face closer to hers. "I swear it's not me trying to be cruel."

"I know," he said, "and I'm sorry I tried to embarrass you. I won't do it again."

"Thank you," she breathed, relieved. "Though…"

"What?"

"I suppose I wouldn't mind a _little _hand holding…"

Bumi raised his eyebrows and grinned, "Why, Chief Beifong, you _dirty_ girl."

The two laughed and kissed fell back on the couch. An hour later they found themselves lying in bed cooling off.

"I can't believe I got so worked up over nothing," Lin said as she rested her head on Bumi's chest. "Like you'd ever leave me that bitch."

Bumi looked down at her and raised an eyebrow. "Bitch is a little much, don't you think?"

"Oh yeah? Tell me," Lin propped herself on an elbow, "when she tried to kiss you, my boyfriend, just a few hours after meeting me, your girlfriend, was she sober?"

"Okay, she's a bitch."

"Uh huh."

She slid back down and curled in close to him. Bumi put a hand on her back and kissed the top of her head.

"You know you're my best girl, right?"

"Yeah; and don't you forget it."

They fell asleep curled up together. After that, every day when Bumi walked Lin to work they would hold hands until they got to Police Headquarters. And Bumi of course never got that close to a woman. That's not to say he didn't look; he just knew better.

* * *

**To NooooBD: Why yes, yes it was. Thank you for noticing! :D**

**To Atarah Derek: Yes, Sherlock is indeed awesome. And I'm afraid I'm low on Brain Bleach right now, so I'll have to get back to you. I could of course dedicate a chapter to you, if that would help?**


	26. Too Much Drinking Leads to Awkwardness

Bumi struggled to open his eyes and then immediately shut them again as a massive headache assaulted him. He groaned and pulled the covers over his head, trying to escape the light coming in through the window that was magnifying his hangover. After a few minutes he realized that the bed didn't feel quite right.

The Commander opened his eyes and, shielding himself from the light, carefully sat up and looked around. Three facts hit him in rapid-fire succession: First, the bed didn't feel right because this wasn't his bed. Furthermore, this wasn't room. And last, and most troublesome, was that he was completely naked.

"Oh crap," he muttered as looked around the room. Who the hell had he gone home with? He hadn't had to ask himself that question in thirty years. He was only thankful that this time the situation didn't involve chains.

He looked around the room and observed his own clothes on the floor as well as some grey pants and a metal belt.

Wait...a _metal_ belt?

Bumi balked at the sight. That was Lin's belt. Lin's belt was on the floor. How? Rubbing his eyes, he recalled being at the party with Lin. He remembered talking, laughing, dancing, stealing extra desserts when Tenzin wasn't looking and of course _drinking_. But he'd _never_ had any expectations of it going anywhere. The veteran had given up such notions years ago. And yet…

He'd gone home with Lin Beifong.

He was startled out of his thoughts when Lin herself walked in dressed in a green robe and carrying a tray with two steaming cups on it. She paused upon noticing that he was up.

"Good morning," she said. Her normally strident voice was noticeably more tentative.

"Morning."

"I hope you slept well," she continued carefully as she walked over and set the tray on the night stand.

"I made us some tea," said Lin, handing him a steaming cup and taking a seat on the edge of the bed. Bumi accepted it and nodded at her in appreciation.

"Thank you."

The two sipped in silence for a moment and Bumi observed her body language. She sat near him on the bed, not looking him in the eye. He observed that her iron-gray hair was messed from what he remembered as a rather enjoyable time. After a minute he set his cup down and reached out to brush a strand away from her face. Lin jumped a bit but didn't stop him.

"So," he said, trying not to stare at the way her robe accentuated her figure, "about last night…" As he spoke he leaned forward a bit and the sheets shifted. He quickly pulled them back up and wrapped them tighter around his waist, blushing.

"Well," Lin said, laughing at him with her eyes, "first of all, you can relax. I think we're past that kind of formality."

Bumi shook his head and grinned, relaxing. Why had he been nervous? It was Lin! As awkward as this was, they could get through it.

"And as for last night," she continued raising her hands in submission " it can be whatever you want it to be. I don't care." She had resumed her normal blunt, commanding tone. "I mean, as long as you don't plan on turning it into some story you brag about to your Navy friends."

"Sounds like you _do _care," he pointed out.

Lin folded her arms and looked away. Bumi grinned to himself; he loved it when she tried to resist. He reached out and took her cup, causing her to look up again and meet his gaze. As he set her cup next to his on the table he said, "So… Whatever I want, huh?"

"Yes," she said carefully.

A little grin twitched in the corner of Bumi's mouth and he put his hands on her shoulders. "What if I want it to be this?"

Before she could question him, he pulled her in and caught her lips in a kiss. After a few seconds she relaxed in his arms and a sense of relief came over them both. Later they'd have to figure out how to handle this situation; but for now, they had this. And this was more than enough.

* * *

**Didn't have much time, so I made it a quickie (no pun intended).**


	27. Where the Author Hijacks the Storyline

_Lin couldn't hide a smile as the people around her shouted, jumped for joy and ran around as they celebrates the defeat of the Red Lotus. After a fierce battle the anarchist group had been taken down at the hands of the Avatar. _

_In the mayhem Zaheer had been killed and, loyal to the bitter end, P'Li had then taken her own life in order to be with her love in death. Ghazan and Ming Hua were being sent back to prison, though the pair had shared a rather heartwarming goodbye before parting._

_The Chief looked around, content, as people reunited. Team Avatar shared a group hug before Korra split off to find her father and Bolin ran to greet Opal, who was in turn tearfully hugging her mother. Su looked up and met Lin's eyes, and the two sisters smiled and nodded. Tenzin, having recovered quickly, was surrounded by his family and Kai, who was holding hands with Jinora. Kya was healing the injured with Katara, who had decided to show up when she heard what was going on. Zuko had left, and presumably was reuniting with his daughter at the moment._

"_Ain't this great, Linny?" _

_The metalbender realized Bumi was standing next to her, Bum Ju resting on his head. The wild man continued, "We won!"_

_Then, before Lin new it was happening, the new airbender lunged forward and pulled her into a tight hug. After a minute he released her and stood back looking nervous._

"_Uh...sorry…"_

_Lin stood there frozen. After a moment it wore off and she looked Bumi up and down. Finally she shrugged and said, "Oh, who am I kidding?" Then she grabbed him by the collar of his airbending uniform and dipped him, planting a huge kiss on his mouth._

_After a minute or two of this Lin felt something poke her in the back. She broke apart from Bumi, leaving him dazed and lovestruck and looked for the source of the poking. She found an old woman standing in front of her, jabbing a walking stick in her face._

"_Lin, is that Bumi you're making out with?" the old woman asked._

"_Yes, Mother, it is."_

"_Well it's about damn time," Toph huffed. "Now, where the hell did Sugar Queen get to? Lord knows I can't stay long, and I oughta get to visit as many people as I can while I'm here."_

_She hobbled away and Lin shook her head, smiling. She turned back to Bumi who had collected himself and was now holding out his arms for a hug. The two embraced as the sun hit the horizon, sending everything aglow with the sunset._

_Everyone cheered and laughed and the people of the New Air Nation hopped on their gliders and soared around the Temple. Meanhile food was brought out and rice wine flowed from every direction Then Zuko showed up, his daughter, his grandson, and Iroh the First all riding atop his dragon. And then spirits flocked in from the far corners of the Earth, surrounding the Temple in a shimmering light. Then rainbows appeared, and landed on the Temple, magically restoring it to its former glory, and then Aang showed up with a fruit basket and-_

**Lin: STOP! STOP! STOP! DON'T GO ANY FARTHER!**

**Bumi: You're getting close to the Point of No Return!**

**Me: But...but I just want everything to turn out okay and...be happy and...and…*breaks down into gross sobbing and curls up on the floor***

**Bumi: *looks around nervously; turns to Lin* What should we do?**

**Lin: Well, someone has to put an end to this putrid rainbow-fest.**

**Bumi: Okay… *turns to the audience and clears throat* Well ladies and gents, the finale is tomorrow. And while everyone's excited, a lot of you are, understandably, not emotionally prepared for this. This was the author's attempt at a humorous, hypothetical resolution in which Lin and I have a Last-Minute hookup. However, it got a little out of hand…**

**Lin: Look, the point is, Season 3 ends tomorrow, and everyone's running on high waiting for it. But we need to maintain order in the meantime. And please, no one else crank out stuff like this. I mean sure there's the hook-up, but otherwise this is just illogical.**

**Bumi: ...are you saying us hooking up would be logical?**

**Lin: What? I…**

**Bumi: That's what you said!**

**Lin: I don't know what you mean! *exits stage left***

**Bumi: *follows, grinning* **_**Sure**_ **you don't.**

**Me: *sits up and tries to pull self together* Sorry about that… Anyway, it's tomorrow. As stated, I don't think anyone is completely prepared. But all we can do is wait and then watch, and try to not die while doing either of these things. So, good luck. AND WATCH OUT FOR SPOILERS. THEY'RE EVERYWHERE.**

**End Scene.**


	28. Okay

**SPOILERS FOR THE SEASON 3 FINALE!**

As Su ran over after speaking with Tenzin, she nodded to the others and she, Lin, Bolin, Mako and Asami took off into the cave to search for and rescue the new airbenders.

As they sprinted down the tunnel, Lin couldn't help but feel apprehension. She wasn't worried about the fight that was no doubt going to occur; guards could be dealt with. No, she was worried about the airbenders. After being in possession of the Red Lotus for so many hours, what shape would the inexperienced benders be in, or the kids for that matter? Her friends... With a glance to her left she could see that Su felt the same, no doubt worried about her daughter Opal.

Lin looked ahead once more and swallowed the feeling, opting to instead keep her head clear of emotion until they could stop and assess the situation.

At least they neared the end and the group collectively paused near the entrance to get their bearings. Lin saw that the airbenders were chained to the floor in a circle with only a few guards on duty. One of the guards was saying, "Hey!" He moved toward the airbenders and Lin saw that he was speaking to Opal.

_Not __**my**_ _niece, pal..._

"What do you think you're doing?"

_SMASH_

Before the guard could take another step, Lin had bent a boulder at him, smashing him against the wall and knocking him unconscious. The second guard looked shocked for a moment before turning to the group in anger. As the guard motioned to earthbend two large rocks at them, Su stepped forward and a bent a small barrier upward to protect them. Before anyone else could move, Asami vaulted over the wall, her electrified glove bared and ready. In just a few seconds she had the Red Lotus member on the ground, passed out. Su brought the barrier down and they moved in.

While Su and Bolin ran to greet Opal, Lin surveyed the others. She noted first the kids, Jinora, Ikki and Meelo looked fine, as well as Pema and baby Rohan. Tired but fine. Most of the chained airbenders looked okay.

Then she saw them: Kya and Bumi. Lin's eyes widened at the sight of them, Bumi slumped against a rock while Kya lay on the floor, too weak to even sit up. Lin felt a pang in her heart and ran over to them. She knelt in front of Bumi first and put a hand to his face.

"Bumi?"

The man, normally all energy, only vaguely stirred at her touch. He slowly opened his eyes and squinted trying to focus on her.

"Linny?" Finally seeing her, a tiny grin came to his face and he mumbled, "Hey there…"

"Hey," she said gently, "it's gonna be okay."

"Mhmm," he muttered.

As the keys were passed around the airbenders stood up and rubbed their wrists. Two of them helped Kya to her feet. One moved to help Bumi but Lin held up a hand saying, "I'll take him." Bumi was easier than his sister as his leg wasn't as hurt, but it was still a struggle to get him up. Once he was on his feet Lin pulled his arm across her shoulders and put the other around him and under his other arm to support him. The wild man (if he could be called that in this state) leaned on her heavily, almost dead on his feet.

"We have to get these two out of here now," Lin announced to the others. She added, looking at Bumi's face, "They don't look so good."

Bumi wheezed and said, "What are you talking about?" He put on a grin and, trying to act lighthearted said, "I feel great!" Almost immediately he started coughing and Lin couldn't help but watch him in sympathy.

_Why do you always have to put on for everyone? _she wanted to ask him. _Admit it, you're hurt!_

Tonraq announced that he needed to help Korra, and Mako and Bolin agreed. Jinora told them where to go and they split off from the group, leaving Su, Lin and Asami to lead the others to safety.

Kya and Bumi had been beaten badly and getting them through the tunnel was slow going. Bumi explained how they had fought and lost to Ming Hua and Ghazan and had been faced with the choice of either being definitely killed or allowing themselves to fall down the mountainside and only possibly being killed. Of course they had taken the latter.

"I'm surprised you didn't throw in a dozen extra Red Lotus members, or a land hurricane," Lin said, trying to perk Bumi's spirits. It worked slightly and he smiled a little saying, "Or maybe a band of rogue potters?"

"There you go," Lin said, adjusting her grip on him, "that's the Bumi I know."

"Yeah," he said, "those would've been good. I guess I'm just...tired…"

He seemed to deflate a bit and stumbled with his footing. Lin paused to help him stay balanced. "Hey, come on big guy," she told him, "don't worry. Like I said, it's all going to be okay."

"Thanks Linny," he wheezed. "You don't know how good it is to have you here."

She didn't reply but instead strengthened her support of him as they continued through the tunnel. When they finally reached the outside Bumi and his sister gratefully sank to the ground. Lin kneeled next to him, searching out a place where they could properly rest. She spotted a rock formation and decided that would do as soon as they were ready to move again.

Lin rested a hand on his back as breathed heavily. She seemed to recall a time when she was younger, only a child and had injured herself. Bumi had been the one to hold her hand until help arrived, telling her it would all be alright. And now it was her turn.

_It's okay._

Then Tonraq ran up, saying, "We have to help Korra," and everyone trained their eyes to see the young Avatar battling with Zaheer above. Bumi leaned his head back looking on in awe, and Lin knew it was time to get them to a safe place.

_As long as I've got you, it's all okay._

* * *

Two weeks later, Lin found herself on Air Temple Island waiting outside while Jinora's Master ceremony was being prepared. Su was with her, back in Republic City for the first time in thirty years.

"Things have sure changed," the metalbender said, observing the massive amount of spirit activity.

"They really have," Lin agreed.

"I'll say!"

Lin turned and found that the voice was indeed from Bumi, who was coming down the stairs to meet them.

"You're looking better," Lin observed.

"Just better? Why Lin, I feel fit as a flute." Having reached their level, the new airbender stopped and stood in front of them, his old manic grin having returned over the course of the past couple weeks. "And I've got you to thank for it."

Lin shrugged. "It was no trouble." She paused before adding, "I was really worried, you know?"

Bumi looked away, his grin morphing into a tiny smile. "I know; I could tell. And Lin, you really don't understand what a relief it was to open my eyes and see you standing there. I felt like I was gonna make it."

He looked up again and the two shared a warm smile. After a minute Bumi turned to see Kya waking her way towards them on crutches and said, "Well there she is! I'm gonna go cheer her on, okay? Thanks again, Linny."

Lin watched him go and smiled as he came up next to his sister and started shouting teasing praises as she hobbled along.

Su said, "Bumi's always been a good guy, huh?"

Lin gave a small nod and murmured, "Yeah. He's okay."

* * *

**No, that is NOT a **_**The Fault in Our Stars**_ **reference, so don't ask me. Just want to put that out there.**

***clears throat* Ahem… AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH! In answer to your question Atarah Derek, YES. I SAW. AND IT WAS GLORIOUS! When the camera showed their backs with her arm around him I squeed so hard it was ridiculous. And then they SPOKE. Not only did we get her physically helping and supporting him in his hour of need, but she actually looked sympathetic! And him trying to joke! AH! Yes, you're right and it's reading way too far in, but at this point I don't care. I've waited three seasons to see them interact on-screen, so when it happens, I'm gonna react dang it! So let's pack our supplies and load them onto the ship as we set sail in wait for Book 4!**

**ALL ABOARD THE S.S. LINUMI!**

**Also, now that I'm 99% sure that Su is on the side of good (sorry, I'm a suspicious person) you guys can expect to see more of her in these chapters.**


	29. Bad Time for a Phone Call

"No."

"But-!"

"No, Kya," Tenzin said as he tossed down his newspaper to look at his sister across the table. "I'm not doing it."

Kya leaned forward and pouted. Why did he have to ruin everything? After all she wasn't doing anything wrong. She was just trying to meddle in their older brother's love life; that was perfectly normal.

"I'm telling you," Kya started over, causing Tenzin to groan and pick up the paper again, "if we don't do something soon Bumi's never going to get any better. And since Lin's the one who's got him lovesick, she's the perfect person to fix it."

"If you ask me he should take care of it himself," Tenzin said, sipping his tea dismissively.

"And he will! All we need to do is get her over here; then everything will fall into place."

"My, how mystical of you."

"Just call her, will you?"

The two sat in silence for a moment with Kya staring at Tenzin while he faked paying attention to the paper. Finally he threw it down again muttering, "Why can't I ever win?"

He went to the phone and called Lin, while Kya jumped up and down like an excited puppy behind him. After an unusually long pause the police chief finally answered the phone, breathing heavily.

"Hello," Lin huffed, practically panting.

"Lin," Tenzin asked, concerned, "are you alright?"

"Fine," she snapped, sounding hurried. "What do you want?"

Tenzin raised an eyebrow but didn't press the matter. "Well," he said carefully, "I was just calling to invite you to have dinner with the family tomorrow night, if you're available.

"Sure, sounds great," the metalbender said impatiently. "I'll be there. Anything else?"

"Actually yes: why are you so out of breath this late at night? Are you exercising?"

"Yeah," Lin said, a touch of amusement in her voice. "Something like that."

"Say Linny, what's taking so long?"

Tenzin's eyes blew wide, his back stiffened and his beard bristled as his brain registered the voice coming from the background. "Bumi…?"

He listened as two voices went back and forth for a minute, and then his brother's voice came through the phone loud and clear saying, "Hey Tenzin, can we make this quick?"

"Bumi...what are you doing over there?"

The wild man snorted before replying, "Well gee Tenz, I'd think that having four kids would've filled you in on that one."

"Uhhh…"

"Look, I'd love to chat, but Lin and I have some _things_ we need to attend to, so I'm gonna let you go now. See you at dinner tomorrow!"

Tenzin listened as the receiver clicked and the line went dead. He continued to stand there for a minute until Kya finally took the phone away. "What happened? Did Lin say yes?" Hey, where are you going?"

The airbender just shook his head before going to the door. On his way out he said, "Let's just say that Bumi can take care of himself."

"That was annoying," Bumi said as he pushed the phone away.

"I'll say," Lin agreed. She came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his torso. "But at least now we won't have any interruptions..."

"I like the sound of that," he muttered as he jerked his head to the side and pulled her around for a heated kiss. "Now where were we?"

**I'm sorry about the infrequency of posts lately. School just started back up and I'm adjusting. But, the next post, regardless of the date, is going to be bigger. In the mean time I hope you enjoy this, and I just want to say again that appreciate and accept any and all comments! Thanks guys!**


	30. Sweetness

Lin leaned back in her chair with a tired sigh. After pouring over case files for a few hours, she was stiff, tired and ready to go home. Unfortunately this didn't look like an option tonight. At the sound of a knock on the door she called, "Come in."

Captain Saikhan came in holding a stack of papers and rubbing his eyes with fatigue. "Latest reports for you, Chief," he yawned.

"You don't usually handle the paperwork," Lin commented as she took the papers from him. He shrugged and replied, "Most of the others are gone already; only the graveyard shift is up."

Chief Beifong rolled her eyes and stood up to take a much-needed stretch. "I hate the late nights," she grunted.

"You and me both," Saikhan agreed. After a second he let out a small laugh. "Remember that time when we got called to do a stake out over in the fishing district?"

Lin nodded and replied, "Well of course. How can anyone forget the wonderful experience of hiding behind crates of rotting halibut for six hours?"

"And then," Saikhan said, still chuckling, "the guys finally showed up and when we went to confront them-

"-they knocked over the crates and fish rained down on everyone," Lin said, shaking her head. She leaned against her desk and crossed her arms. "Yes I remember. I also remember that if you had listened to me, we would've been able to apprehended them _without_ having to spend the next few days reeking of fish."

It was Saikhan's turn to roll his eyes. "Whatever," he said, "we made the arrest didn't we? Isn't that what's important?"

The Chief laughed out loud at that one. "Now that takes me back," she said, "to the days when I had a rookie on the force that was determined to drive me crazy when I'd only just gotten the Chief position myself."

Saikhan gave a cheeky grin and shrugged. "What can I say? I thought I knew what I was doing." He rubbed his neck sheepishly as he added, "I have to admit, if you hadn't been so patient and helped me, I probably wouldn't be the Captain I am today."

"Captain? Sai, you wouldn't _be _here today if it wasn't for me! I can't count how many times I had to pull you out of trouble."

Instead of sending a barb in her direction he paused and looked her in the eyes carefully. Lin, disappointed that the banter was over, asked, "What's wrong?"

"You...you called me Sai."

Lin stopped and realized that, yes, she had used her old nickname for him.

"You haven't called me that in a long time," he murmured, still holding a tentative position next to her desk. "Not since…"

The Chief held up a hand and said sharply, "We're not talking about that. We agreed, remember?"

"Right," he said, looking away. "Sorry."

Lin gave him a curt nod, sat down and started signing papers, trying to move past the little bump in the conversation. "How's your wife?" The question was meant to try to diffuse the tension, but it only seemed to make Saikhan more on edge.

"She's fine," he said quickly, "just fine. Visiting her sister now, so I'm alone at home." He paused for a moment as if that should've meant something and slowly asked, "How are things with you and Bumi?"

The Chief gave a tired smile at the mention of her man. "As crazy as ever," she said. "One minute we're laughing and the next minute we're shouting."

"Sounds familiar," he murmured, resting a hand on her shoulder. And after a few seconds she reached up and, without looking at him, covered his hand. They sat there for a moment in silence, old memories rushing through their minds.

Then who should show up, but Bumi himself.

"Hey Linny, I-."

The Commander had strolled in casually but stopped when he saw Saikhan and Lin jump, separate their hands, and lean away from each other. Saikhan even took a few steps back for good measure.

"Hello Bumi," Lin said, trying to sound casual and get over her nostalgia rush.

"Hi," he said slowly, looking back and forth between the two. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No, of course not," Saikhan said quickly. "The Chief and I were just discussing our latest case." When Bumi raised a bushy eyebrow at him he continued, "I actually need to get back to it. If you'll excuse me, Chief." He saluted her and hurried out the door, not before giving a respectful nod to Bumi.

"What the heck was that about?" Bumi walked over to take a chair in front of Lin's desk.

Lin tried to look innocent and asked, "What do you mean?"

Bumi narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean what do I mean? What's got the two of you all jumpy? You'd think I walked in wearing a clown suit and waving a knife around."

She shrugged, still not meeting his gaze. "I don't know what you're talking about. If there's something wrong with Saikhan, I didn't notice it. It's not like he tells me those kinds of details anymore."

"Anymore?"

_Oh crap, _Lin thought.

"What do you mean 'anymore'?"

_Oh CRAP._

"I…" Lin tried to think of the right words to explain the situation, but Bumi, not nearly as dumb as he made people think, was already piecing things together.

"You and Saikhan," he said out loud, his brow furrowed. "You and Saikhan…"

He gasped out loud and Lin pressed her face into her palm. Why tonight? Why, why, why tonight?

"He's Number 3!" Bumi cried.

Lin lifted her head and stared at him in confusion."And what do you mean Number 3?"

"The third guy you were in love with - that you wouldn't tell me about! And no wonder…" After wearing an expression of surprise, Bumi pulled a sly grin that was downright irksome. "You dated your co-worker!"

"Shut up," she demanded.

"Your _younger_ co-worker. Not to mention you're his boss!"

"Bumi, shut up!"

"The Iron Maiden was part of an office romance!" He smiled coyly and teased, "How _scandalous_!"

Fed up, Lin banged her fist on the desk and snapped, "Will you pipe down? Someone could hear you!"

"Then you admit it?"

"Yes," she sighed, too tired to argue. "I admit it."

She growled in frustration as Bumi outright _giggled_ at her. "And just what do you find funny about it?"

"You and old Chrome Dome shacking up," he laughed. "How is that _not _funny?"

"Well, for starters, he definitely wasn't bald when I was with him."

"And?" He looked at her expectantly.

"And...nothing. We were together for a year or two and then it was over." She stood up and gestured with her thumb. "Wanna go get sushi?"

Bumi shook his head and pointed at her chair. "Nuh uh, little missy. We're not leaving until I've heard the full story...with all the juicy details of course."

Lin grimaced. "You're serious aren't you?"

"Yes; I feel I have a right to know about your past relationships. Plus I haven't heard any good gossip in a long time."

Lin sat in her chair and stewed. After a moment she said, "Alright…"

"Yes!"

"BUT! You have to tell me some of the stories from your Navy days. Complete with names and dates _if_ you can remember them."

Bumi looked uncomfortable for a minute, but after weighing his options he conceded.

"Okay," Lin sighed, adjusting her position in the chair. This was one was going to take a little while and she wanted to be comfortable. "Where do I start?"

_In the beginning it was just business, nothing more. She'd known from the beginning hiring him would be risky, given his reputation at the Metalbending Academy for being especially stubborn and unyielding. But his skills were evident, as was his loyalty, and having only been given the Chief position very recently, she needed people like him on the force._

_So he joined the Metalbending Police Force at the age of twenty. After a disastrous first week she confronted him and explained that if he wanted to keep his job, he was going to have to work harder. In a moment of sympathy, she offered to train him up herself, and show him the ropes of being a real cop. He accepted, and a month or so of hard work things started to pay off, and he was able to not only keep up with the other metalbenders, but also outperformed most of them as well. _

"_What do you say, Chief?" he asked one day after a particularly impressive triple arrest. "Am I as good as you hoped?"_

"_No," she'd told him, and punched him in the shoulder when he looked disappointed. "You're better."_

_Tenzin of course was suspicious, but then he was suspicious about everything back then; at thirty years old, after several years of dating they'd hit the rough patch that would eventually ruin them. In the mean time, while they were still clinging to what was left of their relationship, now and then Lin just needed some time alone. Since she didn't have anyone she could visit and rant to, she'd head to the bar. Well, one night, Saikhan just so happened to be in that bar, and ended up joining her. After running into each other a few more times they decided to heck with it and made it a regular thing. They'd meet up once a week and rant about everything from work to family, and discussed possible new techniques in the field of metalbending. They also continued to meet up every now and then at the gym for a bit of casual sparring._

"So you guys ended up being friends first?" Bumi asked. "Sort of like you and me?"

"Sort of. It was a little different though, because there was always that line we couldn't cross."

"But from what I understand you guys ended up meeting in the middle, so to speak?"

"Shut up and let me finish."

_They got closer over the years. It became clear that he had a great respect for her as a Chief and as a person, and she couldn't help but admire his progression from a hot-headed rookie to a skilled detective. He received, nay __**earned**_ _promotions and made his way through the ranks, becoming her go-to guy when she needed more important cases taken care of._

_Then the break up happened. After Tenzin terminated their relationship and she got over her initial rage, she spent a while feeling melancholy. She stopped meeting him at the bar and their took a break from their sparring sessions. She grew cold and despondent. One day on stake out he'd asked her if she was alright. She shook her head and asked, "What is alright, even?" Later after the job was done he'd questioned her again and in response she'd just smiled at him and walked away._

_That was when he'd showed up at her house to confront her. He told her she wasn't acting like herself, like the Chief he knew, and that he missed her. She'd told him to go to hell. But when he told her he was going to the Police Academy gym, their old meetup, she'd come. They sparred for a while, and she started to come around. After a while the building was empty and there was a storm coming down outside. He decided to head home, but she wanted to shower first._

"_If you wanna shower, why don't you just step outside?"_

"_Very funny," she'd said bluntly. "Come up with that one on your own?"_

"_Actually yes!"_

"You mean he had a sense of humor?"

"Hush."

_She went to the women's showers and found that something was wrong with the plumbing. So, with no one else around, she saw no harm in ducking into the men's. She went in and fiddled with the nobs, finding that they were stuck too. Then, just as the water started pouring down, the curtain opened and he was standing there._

_They both yelled and jumped, and she slipped on the now wet floor, landing on her back. His gentleman's instincts made him move to try and help, but he ended up slipping as well. They ended up laying on the floor naked, with him half on top of her._

"_I-I th-thought you were going home," she stammered, sitting up and scooting away from him. She pulled her legs in, trying to cover herself._

"_I was," he managed, while struggling to pick himself up, "but that shower sounded like a good idea. Why are you in here?"_

"_The women's isn't working."_

"_Oh." _

_He should've left then, and she should've told him to. But instead he ended up just a few inches from her face. Then he kissed her. And while a good part of her wanted to slap him, the rest was too busy thinking about all the late nights they'd spent together, all the days of training, working… And some piece of her decided she just couldn't be lonely anymore._

She stopped there and Bumi stared at her incredulously.

"So you just did it right there on the locker room floor!?"

"No! Not on the floor..."

Bumi rubbed his eyes, starting to wish he hadn't asked for this story. "So what happened after that?"

"Well, we tried to act like it was nothing and said it wouldn't happen again. But it happened. And in our own messed up way, it felt like love. Or at least it felt right."

She fiddled with a pen as she continued, "We ended up sneaking around for a few years, praying no one would find out. But eventually we realized that we couldn't go on hiding, and neither one of us was willing to quit. That was when we knew it couldn't be true love, or whatever you want to call it. Because if it had been those things wouldn't have mattered."

"So it was mutual?"

"More or less," she said in a way that told him it hadn't been. "Though I was the one to officially pull the plug. Right in time for Tenzin's wedding, too."

"Ouch." Bumi grimaced. He recalled the wedding vividly; Lin had skipped the ceremony (not that there was much to see) but had practically crashed the reception, and drank more than half the guests combined.

"That was one heck of a night. Didn't you have to take me home?"

"Yes," he said, looking away.

"I don't really remember that part, to be honest," she said while rubbing her forehead, remembering the hangover she'd awoke to. "Did I do anything too embarrassing?"

"Erm...no, of course not."

"Good." She stood up and stretched again, this time rolling her head to the side to pop her neck. "Well that's the story. We ended on good enough terms, and we still care about each other." She realized how that must have sounded and added quickly, "But I'm definitely over it."

Lin walked over to him and he stood to meet her. She took his hand and, looking deeply into his eyes asked, "It doesn't bother you, does it?"

"No," he said, "of course not. I get it; things happened. No worse than your relationship with Tenzin."

"Yeah," she said with a wry chuckle. "Seems like all my exes live right around the corner, huh?"

He nodded at her joke, trying to hide his discomfort. "Ready to go?"

"I just have to check in with a few people and then we can leave."

While he waited for her downstairs, Bumi noticed Saikhan standing by the door, and started for him.

* * *

_He hadn't told her the full truth. As the reception was winding down, he had found her on the dock wandering aimlessly. He'd managed to coax her onto the ferry and talked to her on the way into the city._

"_You didn't have to do this," she'd muttered._

"_Sure I did," he said, putting a friendly arm around her. "Who else is gonna take care of you?"_

"_Good question."_

_He winced guiltily as she leaned against the railing, looking down at the water. "Bumi?" _

"_Yeah?" _

"_Why is your brother such an ass?"_

_Bumi considered the question for a moment before replying, "I don't know. I guess that after letting me be the family ass for so long, he decided to take up the mantle."_

_That had gotten a small chuckled out of her, but it sounded cheap, hollow. She'd turned to him and said, "But you're not an ass. You're sweet."_

"_Am I now?"_

"_Yeah. You always have been."_

_She tried to step toward him but stumbled. He caught her and she leaned against him for support, her head on his chest. With drunken giggle she'd said, "Remember when we were all kids and we'd play all those games where we had to catch each other."_

"_Predator and Prey," he clarified, pushing a few strands of black hair out of her face._

"_Yeah, that," she said, nodding heavily. "That's it. And then when you caught someone you had to tickle them until they surrendered." She leaned her head back to meet his gaze and for a second the light from the harbor hit the pair and set her green eyes alight._

"_I used to always wish that you'd catch me," she murmured with a little smile that threatened to drive him crazy. "Wanna catch me tonight?"_

"_Uh…"_

_Before he could reply properly she'd wrapped her arms around his neck and started kissing him. And for a minute, he let her._

_They reached the dock and he pulled away, leaving her to stare at him with a disappointed frown. "What's your problem?"_

"_My problem?" He took her by the arm and lead her off the boat and in the direction of her home. "My problem is that I'm not going to hook up with a woman who's both drunk and pining for my little brother."_

_She let out a cold laugh. "Wouldn't stop most guys."_

_He frowned. "Actually I think you'd be surprised."_

"_I'm not one for surprises, Bumi."_

_He got her back to her house, finally gave up trying to drag her and instead carried her to her bed. As he pulled back the covers she said with a yawn, "You're sweet."_

"_I know," he said as he gently put her in and rolled her onto her stomach. _

"_How'd you get so sweet?"_

"_Practice."_

_He covered her up and after a moment's hesitation, pressed a kiss to her temple. Just before he went out the door he heard her mumble, "Sweet sweet sweet…" He shook his head and with a pain in his chest shut the door._

"_Love you," he whispered to the door._

* * *

"Hey," he said as he came up next to the Captain.

"Hey," Saikhan returned without turning to him.

"Wanna level?"

"Sure."

"I love her."

"I know."

"And so do you."

"I...I don't know what you're -

"Don't give me that crap. I saw the way you were looking at her back in the office. And it doesn't take a genius to tell that you weren't entirely willing to break things off."

Saikhan closed his eyes and let out a short, irritated breath. "What's your point?"

The Captain felt a hand rest on his shoulder and turned to see the Commander looking at him with an odd mixture of both understanding and warning.

"My point is that while I know how you feel, like you got your chance taken away, the fact is that this is my chance. And I don't want to lose it. You can go on caring about her all you want; I won't say a word. But please, don't try to take this from me."

It wasn't pleading; it was as if he was simply asking for a favor. An important one, but a favor nonetheless. Was it because he didn't consider the Captain to be of much competition? Or was this just his way of putting things simply?

Saikhan pondered this as the Commander slid his hand off his shoulder and reached out for a handshake. "Okay?"

Lin came back then and stopped when she saw the two men facing each other near the doors. She watched as Saikhan stared at Bumi's outstretched hand, and frowned with displeasure as the Captain crossed his arms in a clear sign of rejection.

As she walked toward them she caught Saikhan saying something about not owing Bumi anything. Then the two noticed and turned toward her, the older man wearing a simple, happy smile at her arrival while the younger had an intense gaze trained on his boss.

Lin stopped between them and asked, "Everything alright?"

"Fine," Saikhan spat.

"Ready to go when you are, Linny," Bumi said in his usual laid-back manner.

For a second Lin looked back and forth between the two, as if considering something. Then, after seemingly reaching a decision about whatever it was, slipped her arm through Bumi's and lead him out the door.

"Goodnight Captain Saikhan," she called over her shoulder.

Just as the door was closing she heard a brief, "Goodnight Chief."

As they walked arm in arm down the street, Bumi felt a question burning. Finally he said, "Lin? I'm not normally the type to get territorial, but-

"I know what you're going to say," she interrupted, "so go ahead and shut up. It would never happen."

"You're sure?"

She stopped walking and turned to him. "Positive," she said simply. "After all, you know how I feel about bringing up ancient history.

"And besides," she continued with a tiny smirk playing on her lips, "how could I choose him over someone as sweet as you?"

She felt a bit of joy at the shock this statement triggered. With a laugh she kissed his cheek and started off down the street.

"Lin, what did you mean by that?" he asked chasing after her. "Lin!"

She laughed again, quietly as he hurried after her. She'd made the right decision; she could be sure of that now. Part of her wondered how it could've taken this long.

* * *

**Bet you thought I'd never get back to that shade I threw a few chapters ago! Well there you go. In all honesty, I see nothing wrong with Saikan/Lin (someone needs to come with a better name for that pairing), but I also don't think it would go down very well in the end. In the mean time I can have fun with it here. Hope you guys like it!**

**And as promised, it was longer. And as usual, thank you everyone so much for your reviews, and to everyone who's followed and favorited. It means so much! Thanks guys!**


	31. What if it's You?

_Lin I_

_I don't know how to_

_You and Tenzin are all wron_

_You and I_

_I've been wanting to say for a long time that_

Bumi finally groaned, wadded up the paper, and sent it hurtling for trash bin. It was useless. How did he expect to know how to write down what he was feeling? He was a talker not a writer. But recently talking had failed him, so this had been his last resort.

The young officer leaned back in his chair and peered out the window. Tenzin and Lin were outside sitting under a tree, talking. Of course.

Bumi watched them with a sigh and turned back to the desk. Gathering his patience he pulled another sheet of paper over and tried again.

_I've got something to tell you that I just can't say,_

_So I'm writing it down in case maybe someday,_

_Our lives take a turn down a road we can't see,_

_Right now_

At a sound, he looked again to see Lin leaning against the tree, her whole body shaking with laughter as Tenzin sat there grinning broadly, the same humor in his eyes. Anyone who saw them would feel their happiness - so why did it make him feel sick?

_I know you're happy, and I'm happy for you,_

_But since you found each other,_

_I've been so confused_

After a moment Lin opened her leafy green eyes to see him looking at them. She waved up at her friend, motioning for him to come join them.

"We were going to go visit the bison, wanna come?"

Bumi looked at her and then looked at Tenzin who was busy rolling his eyes. He shook his head and called back, "No thanks; I think I'm gonna take a nap."

"Well don't nap for too long," she replied in a teasing tone of voice. "After all you're only home for a week and you only have so many opportunities to torture Tenzin."

"Please don't encourage him," the airbender begged as he lead his girlfriend by the hand to the stables. Bumi watched them go and frowned.

_Cause I believe there's one soul in this world_

_That's meant for mine_

_I was sent here to find_

Bumi went out and, as discreetly as he could, watched as the two lovers mounted a Sky Bison and took off, soaring overhead to places he could never reach without assistance. He caught a glimpse of Lin on their way up and took in her serene smile. Despite his feeling of melancholy, he couldn't help but smile as well at the sight.

_What if it's you?_

_What if our hearts were meant to be one?_

Memories stirred in him of days when it was just the two of them, at the beach or in the dojo, playing fighting, making a mess of things. Best friends...

_And what'll I do?_

_Knowing that I'll never love anyone,_

_As much as I do love you?_

_And what if it's true?_

As he watched her fly off with his brother, he realized how much he truly missed those days.

_What if it's you?_

* * *

Lin leaned against the balcony railing, wishing she hadn't come. She'd thought coming to this wedding would help, act as a form of closure. But all it was doing was stirring up bad memories.

"You alright?"

Lin tensed her shoulders at the voice of the one person she'd been trying to avoid more than anyone. Because she knew that once he was around, he was going to do everything he could to make her smile - and he'd probably be successful.

"Peachy," she snapped as he walked toward her. Without warning she felt him take her hand.

"Why don't you come back in? My mom's dying to talk to you; says she hasn't seen you in forever. And Uncle Sokka's so drunk that he mistook Zuko for a woman and, well, you'd better come see!"

She looked back at him, looking at her in his friendly way, trying so hard. With a shake of her head she said, "Nah. Maybe later."

His smile slipped a bit but he consented. "Okay. But come back in soon; they've got a great band going and I expect to get a dance from you, Lil' Linny."

Lin gave him a half-grin and said, "Sure thing, Boomer."

As he walked away she couldn't help but sigh and wish that she didn't hurt so much. That things could be different.

_If destiny called and I missed my chance_

_Do I get one more chance?_

_Oh how I wish I knew_

After a few minutes of standing there and feeling sorry for herself, she decided to try a new location and strolled over to lean in the doorway. That's when she saw him in the center of the floor, dancing his heart out with some random girl. She shook her head, amazed, as the song changed and he let the girl go, grabbed for the next person closest to him, who happened to be a waiter, and kept on dancing.

He was the life of the party, always had been always would be. She wished she could do that - just throw herself out there. She imagined what it'd be like right now to be dancing with him and wished sorely that she could.

_I'll never again put my heart in the hands of fate_

_If it's not too late_

And who's to say she wouldn't? ...someday.

_What if it's you?_

_What if our hearts were meant to be one?_

_And what'll I do_

_Knowing that I'll never love anyone_

_As much as I do love you_

_What if it's true?_

From across the room he turned his head and she knew that that huge, manic smile was for her alone. She loved that it was hers. And, true to form, it got her to give a sad smile in return.

_What if it's you?_

* * *

"This is boring."

"Eh, I've been to worse. You look great in that dress by the way."

She pulled at the black silk, trying to make it possible to breathe. "Thanks, I guess. My sister made me wear it."

"I figured."

They were quiet for a moment as they looked around the Fire Nation Royal Banquet Hall. Around them people were talking, laughing, dancing and eating a Victory Against the Red Lotus feast. Somehow they'd ended up off to the side together, alone. Not that they would have it any other way.

"You know," he spoke up after a moment, "you still owe me a dance."

He looked at her with that familiar smile and for once she didn't hesitate to return it.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?"

They made their way onto the floor and for the first time in a long while they were in each other's arms, swaying gently with the rhythm.

_If I ever hold you I'll never let go_

_But if I never do, how will I know?_

Gradually they found themselves lost in the crowd of other dancers, surrounded by people yet completely alone at the same time. And as the slow, steady song wore on, they forgot that their were other people around to begin with.

"I wish we could do this more," she murmured.

"Who says we can't?"

"Well it's not like we can just forget everything that's happened in the past."

"Well no. But I think we could at least give it a try."

"Really? You're serious?"

"More than I have been about anything in a long time."

She smiled at him and said, "Then I'm game.

_What if it's you?_

_What if our hearts were meant to be one?_

_And what'll I do_

_Knowing that I'll never love anyone_

_As much as I do love you_

_What if it's true?_

_What if it's you?_

And to the shock of several and the dismay of none, she pulled him down just enough so as to kiss him, and he held her closer than ever before.

_What'll I do? What if it's true?_

"I've been waiting to do that," she said as she pulled away.

He smiled. "So have I."

_What if it's you?_

* * *

**I'm gonna be honest, part of me just wanted to get this song out of my head. But the other part honestly did feel like it really fits the two, especially in my headcanon where they just keep missing the right moment. I know a lot of people hate song fics, but I thought I put in enough story that it worked. If I didn't, let me know so I can improve later on. Also sorry about the spacing, hope it didn't get confusing.**

**Song: _What if it's You?_ by Reba McEntire. (Oh no, my Country is showing!)**


	32. Iroh's Reaction

Iroh had always been rather disciplined. Even as a child felt the need to stand straight and follow any orders he was given, as was befitting of Fire Nation Prince. That wasn't to say he didn't have a fun side - it just didn't show itself as often. However, if there was ever a person who could make it come out, it was Bumi. Now, when he walked down the gangplank on the first day of his two-week leave and saw his old friend standing there waiting for him, it was all he could do to keep from running over and tackling the man.

As it was he pushed through the crowd and came to a stand-still before the retired Commander. The two stood tall and saluted one another in the most formal of fashions.

"Commander Bumi," he said solemnly.

"General Iroh," he returned.

After a few seconds more the two broke out in laughter and the wild man pulled his young friend into a hug.

"How goes it Firecracker?" Bumi laughed as clapped Iroh on the back. "The Forces holding up without me?"

"Just barely," Iroh replied, the smile he wore stretching his cheeks until it hurt. "For a while there we thought the Naval branch wasn't gonna make it - everyone missed your stories."

Bumi pulled away and rolled his eyes dramatically, acting hurt. "It's always the stories with these people. You'd think they'd miss the guy that actually saved their lives now and then."

"Yeah, but that guy's too serious," Iroh replied.

"Like you're one to talk," Bumi teased. "Look at your posture! You'd think you had a pole shoved up your ass."

"Me? You look like you swallowed a melon," Iroh said he gestured towards Bumi's protruding beer gut.

"Is that how you talk to a senior officer, Private?" Bumi barked in his best military voice.

"Private? Bumi, I outrank you."

"Oh sure, in the Army maybe, but if you were in the Navy you'd be nothing but a Seaman!"

"Is that so!?"

"Yes that's so!"

The two laughed again and Bumi reached over to muss Iroh's hair just a bit. "Damn I missed you, kid," he chuckled.

"I missed you too," Iroh said. He added with honesty, "It hasn't been the same without you."

"Well how could it be?" Iroh looked to see Chief Beifong walking towards them. "Bumi tends to leave an impression on people," she continued as she reached them.

"It's good to see you Chief," Iroh greeted her cordially. "What brings you to the docks?"

"It's good to see you as well General. And I actually came down here to talk to your friend." She turned to Bumi and said, "Tenzin invited us for dinner tonight. And he said Iroh can come too if he wants."

"Do we have to go?" Bumi groaned. "We ate with them the other day!"

"Oh, come on, it's not like I'm trying to drag you to an opera."

Iroh looked back and forth between the two, confused at the uses of 'we' and 'us.' His confusion intensified when Bumi finally agreed to go and the Chief, happy to have gotten her way, smiled and pressed a kiss to the Commander's cheek.

"Thank you," she said. She turned back to Iroh and asked, "Are you alright?"

"Hey kid, someone spit in your bean curd?" Bumi asked. "You look a little queasy."

"Mmm fine," Iroh managed as he continued to stare at them with wide eyes. "It's just...are you two…?"

Bumi furrowed his brow for a minute before realization hit. "Aw, dang," he said and clapped a hand to his forehead, grinning sheepishly. "I completely forgot to tell you! Iroh, Lin and I have gone steady for a while now."

"Going steady?" Lin looked at her beau with an eyebrow raised in amusement. "Is that what they're calling it?"

"Hey, give me a break here," Bumi retorted. "it was either that or 'seeing each other.'"

As the older adults delved into a bit of playful banter, Iroh couldn't help but shake a feeling of discomfort. After a moment he finally said, "Um that's great. Good for you two… Bumi, didn't you have something planned for us today?"

Lin and Bumi paused in their banter and shared a look. They both noticed Iroh's discomfort; the question was if they were to comment on it. Ultimately they decided not to and Bumi forced a grin as he said, "Well isn't someone an eager beaver? Alright Firecracker, you got it. We'll meet up with you later Linny."

As Bumi wished his girlfriend goodbye Iroh looked away feeling guilty. He hadn't meant to make it so obvious but...Bumi _dating_? That was just too weird. Sure the older man boasted countless escapades with exotic women, but to Iroh those had always been just stories. The idea that his childhood idol could be close to someone in a romantic and domestic fashion was bizarre. And worst of all, the reasons for that feeling made Iroh feel very immature.

So he tried to shrug it off, and he and his older friend managed to have a pleasant enough day bouncing around the city.

Then came dinner. It had been nearly a year since Iroh had the opportunity to set foot on Air Temple Island, and he loved the view of the place. He chatted with Tenzin and his family. He greeted Korra and her friends, once again reminding Asami that his offer to join the United Forces was always on the table. All the while Bumi was at his side making jokes and acting like the guy Iroh had known all his life.

Then the Chief showed up. And in a heartbeat Bumi was at her side, asking her how her day went, teasing her, holding her hand and it was all Iroh could do not to stare.

_Just ignore it,_ he told himself. _I mean if he's happy, that's what matters right?_

Still, as they all sat down for dinner, the General's annoyance increased when it became clear that Bumi only had eyes for Lin. Iroh could barely get a word in edgewise.

"So Bumi," he tried, "they've just developed some new technology to help improve our radio reception."

"That great," Bumi replied. "Say Lin, didn't you mention something about radios earlier?"

And that was pretty much how it went. Finally dinner wound down and Iroh was able to excuse himself. He went outside and made his way to a stone bench overlooking the yard. He sat down and let out a sigh. After a moment he realized he wasn't alone.

"Can I help you?"

"Maybe."

Iroh didn't look up as Lin sat next to him. The two were quiet, as Lin gave him the chance to adjust to her presence. Then she said, "What's on your mind?"

"Not much."

"Now that's a lie."

Iroh sighed again, audibly, and turned toward the Police Chief. The sun was just starting to set and had set her green eyes aglow. With a bit of effort Iroh met her fiery gaze and listened as she said, "You're not happy about my being with Bumi. And I'd like to know why. General." She added the last part with a hint of a smile.

Iroh hesitated before finally saying, "It's not that I dislike you; I don't. I have a great deal of respect for you. It's just that...Bumi and I...we've always been…"

"Close," she offered.

He nodded. "Very. Ever since my father died he's been there for me. Sending me presents on my birthday. Visiting me at the palace when he was in the Fire Nation Capitol. And when I joined the United Forces he became my mentor. And even though I want him to be happy, seeing the two of you together makes me feel sort of-"

The young general found himself at a loss for words, and by now fully expected for the Chief to spit out some form of sarcastic remark. But instead he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see her staring at him with a look of utmost understanding.

"Iroh," she said, with a smile tugging at her lips, "you don't need to feel silly. I know what you mean. Bumi is your Sokka."

Iroh's eyes widened as he realized that she _did_ know how he felt. Bumi had told him stories of how close he and the other children, Lin included, had adored and admired their Uncle Sokka well into their adulthood. Iroh had met the man himself once and could see why.

"Yeah," Iroh said nodding, "he is my Sokka."

Lin let her smile spread. "And just because I'm with him now doesn't mean that's going to change. Sure he might get a little distracted now and then-."

"Well who could blame him?" Iroh interrupted, laying on some Bumi-style charm.

The Chief let out a short laugh as she continued, "But that's not going to last forever. He still makes time for the kids. And I know he'll always make time for his "favorite little Firecracker."" In a rare friendly gesture she reached over and ruffled the younger man's hair, adding, "He already talks about you all the time."

Iroh chuckled and playfully pushed her hand away. The two shared a brief look, acknowledging their newfound understanding.

"Hey, what's going on over here?"

The two looked to see Bumi coming over. The wild man eyed Iroh and said with mock sincerity, "What're ya tryin' to do Firecracker? Steal my girl?"

"No way!" Iroh held up his hands and said, "She's all yours! I know better than to challenge the Greatest Ladies Man in all the Seven Seas."

Lin burst out laughing at the title. "Do people actually call him that?"

"Yes, but only when making fun of him."

Bumi frowned as Iroh and Lin shared a laugh at his expense. "Very funny," he muttered.

"Aw, poor Boomer got his feelings hurt," Lin teased as she stood up and kissed him on the cheek. "There, is that better?"

"A little," Bumi said, "but I could do with another one."

Lin kissed his other cheek and the Commander broke into a wide grin.

"I'm going inside for dessert," Lin announced. "You two coming?"

"We'll be along in a sec," Bumi replied.

As Lin left, Bumi turned to Iroh and said, "Hey listen kid… I'm sorry I've ignored you some."

"Some?"

Bumi sighed with guilt. "Okay, a lot. But I'm honestly not _trying _to leave you out. It's just when I'm around Lin, well…"

A dreamy look came over his face as he trailed off. Iroh shook his head and smiled.

"It's okay Bumi, I get it."

"You do?" Bumi woke up a bit and turned to his friend, looking hopeful.

"Yeah. Just make sure you don't forget about your pals, alright?"

"Are you kidding me?" The wild man reached over and wrestled his friend into a headlock. "As if I'd ever forget about you, little Firecracker! Say, did I ever tell you the story of how I came up with that nickname for you?"

"Yes," Iroh laughed as he pulled himself out of the headlock. "About fifty times."

"_Only _fifty!? Well, we'll just have to fix that, won't we?"

As Iroh followed his friend back inside, listening to the story, he smiled, content with knowing that Bumi would always be his Sokka. And perhaps, with some time, maybe Lin could turn into an Aunt Toph for him. One could always hope.


	33. Fook Mi

One of the things Lin loved about being with Bumi was how comfortable they were together. There was never any pressure to impress one another, or a need to feel embarrassed. They could talk to each other aimlessly or sit in silence for hours without it being weird.

Which was why her feeling so uncomfortable right then really bothered her.

She shifted a bit, allowing him more room as kissed and nuzzled her neck. Normally she loved this: the feeling of his lips pressed to her skin, his beard tickling against her jaw line, while she was free to sigh and run her fingers through his thick brown mane of hair. But tonight something, _something_, was off.

And when he pulled away she realized what it was.

"Why did you stop?" Lin kept a hand on the back of his head as they sat up. Bumi looked at her and shrugged.

"It's kind of late. I figured you'd want to get some sleep before work tomorrow."

She arched an eyebrow as she asked, "Wouldn't you rather stay?"

Bumi hesitated. "What do you mean, stay here? Over night?" he asked, feigning confusion.

"Yes," Lin said, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. "That's exactly what I mean."

The wild man rubbed the back of his neck and glanced around nervously as he said, "Oh I don't know Lin. I'd hate to mess up your usual routine and besides the others will probably wonder where I am."

"Bumi."

"Not to mention that I completely forgot to give Bum Ju his evening snack."

"Bumi, are you uncomfortable?"

"Did I mention that I snore? And I didn't even pack a toothbrush."

"BUMI!"

"Okay!" He leaned into the couch and with a sigh held his palms up in concession. "Yes, I'm uncomfortable. But...does it really matter? Can't we talk about this some other time?"

Lin crossed her arms over her chest and frowned. "No. This is something we should be able to discuss."

"What's there to discuss? I just don't want to stay at your house…"

"Bumi, we both know that this is really about sex."

The Commander winced at the word and looked away as she continued, "I expected you to make the first move, but we've been together for a while now and we've barely gone to second base. I'd just like to know why."

Bumi huffed and said, "Maybe I'm just trying to take things slow…"

Lin scoffed at this. "Slow? You, the gung-ho do or die Naval Commander wants to take things _slow?_"

He grimaced and spat, "It's not that crazy a thought."

"For you it is." She frowned and added, "But then, this whole situation is unlike you. I mean, normally you'd have at least _asked_ by now."

Bumi sat up once more and pointed a finger in her face as he snapped, "Yeah, well maybe I have my reasons!"

She smacked his hand away from her face and barked, "Well could at least hear what those reasons are?"

"No!"

"Why?"

"_Because!"_

"Because _why?_"

"Because you wouldn't understand!"

Lin paused long enough to observe her boyfriend. By now he was sitting hunched over, his arms still crossed over his chest, as if he was protecting something. Some secret. Well whatever it was, she was going to know it before the night was up.

Summoning all her patience she asked, "Why do you think that?"

"Because I...I…" he trailed off lamely, unable to offer a sufficient answer, and his face fell from frustration to depressed annoyance. Lin felt a pang of sympathy and slid her arms around him; he accepted the gesture and rested his chin atop his forehead.

She murmured, "Will you tell me if I guess?"

"Maybe," he grumbled.

"Is it because you're stressed lately?"

"No."

"Are you worried your family might comment on it?"

"No. If they did I'd probably laugh at them."

"Are you worried that age might affect your ability to perform?"

"What? No!" This question appalled him enough that he pulled away and got off the couch. "This is stupid," he said. "Let's not talk about this anymore. You know what we should talk about? Tea! It's been ages since I've had a good cup of tea."

Lin watched him slip into the kitchen and after a moment stood up and followed him slowly. She leaned against the door frame and watched as he prepared tea for two, whistling as did so. Finally she had to ask what she'd really been worried about:

"Do you not find me attractive?"

He nearly dropped the tray holding the teapot and cups. She leapt to help him and they carefully set it on the table together. Once that was done he grabbed her hands and said, very seriously, "Don't ever feel like you have to ask that question. Okay?" He looked at her, still in her uniform pants, a white tank top (as always) a few gray hairs gone askew. In earnest, he said, "You're the most beautiful person I know."

He gave her a tiny smile as he pulled her in to hug her. As he pressed a kiss to her forehead she sighed and said, "I just wish you could tell me. Normally we tell each other everything. Why does this have to be different?"

She felt him breathe in and out slowly. After a moment he mumbled, "Because you're my friend."

"So?" Her voice was muffled slightly by his U.F. coat.

"So. Once we...well you know. Things will be different."

Lin leaned her head back so that they were almost chin to chin. "Why does different have to be a bad thing?"

He let that sink in before he added, "I just don't want to lose what we have."

"But we wouldn't," she said and gave his beard an affectionate little tug. "It would just be a little more complicated."

"I hate complicated."

"So do I. But that's what it means to be in a relationship: you work through complicated stuff together."

Bumi grinned, a bit of his usual cheer returning. "I do like the together part."

"Me too."

"And I do kind of love you."

"Right back at ya, soldier."

They smiled at each other and Bumi leaned in to press a kiss to her soft pink lips.

_TWEEEEEET!_

"Oh shut up!" Lin laughed as Bumi griped at the tea kettle. As he pulled it off the stove she teased, "Some people just don't have any sense of timing."

"Of course," she added with mock sincerity, "if you'd still rather have tea…"

"Oh no you don't," he said, and shook a finger at her. "Young lady, we are going to have sex, and you are going to like it, or my name isn't Fook Mi."

"Fook Mi?"

"Don't mind if I do!"

And before she had a chance to realize what she'd said Bumi was chasing Lin, laughing, up the stairs to the bedroom; and by the time they reemerged, the tea was long cold.

* * *

**Shameless Austin Powers reference is shameless.**


	34. Little Voices

Bumi stared at the phone. He'd been doing this for some time now. Just sitting there, staring; waiting for nothing but the courage to pick it up and use it.

_Do it, _he thought. _Just do it. You've waited long enough. It's time you showed that good old military spirit and asked that woman out._

The woman he referred to was, of course, Lin Beifong. Who else was there? Honestly, since he'd retired and returned to Republic City, he'd started spending more time with her, and most of the women that he met fell beneath his radar. The metalbender had invaded his brain, and (at the risk of sounding sappy) his heart.

Of course that didn't mean he knew how to deal with it. He was used to finding women attractive, and flirting was practically an art form for him, but it had been a long time since the wild man had dealt with a crush.

He grimaced at the word. _Crush._ What did that even mean? That he'd been crushed under the weight of liking her? Actually, that did make a bit of sense…

_Focus, _he told himself. _You are a grown man! What are you so worried about? She's just a woman._

From the back of his mind a tiny, and at the moment annoying, voice piped up, "_**But she's more than that...she's perfect…"**_

The other part of his mind, the part that sounded a lot like some of the superior officers he'd had to deal with as a young seaman, barked, _Silence! Why the way you're letting yourself get worked up over this siren is contemptible!_

_**But she's so strong, and loyal, and understanding...and when I talk to her it feels so natural…**_

_Shut up and get the hell out of this man's mind!_

The voice complied.

_Now, _the officer's voice continued, apparently there to stay, _pick up that damned phone and make the damned call! Or so help me spirits, I'll have you scrubbing the deck until Sozin's Comet returns!_

Bumi continued to hesitate. He scratched his chin, rubbed his temples, and pressed his palms to his face, trying to calm down. Then at long last he finally picked up the phone, took a deep breath, and dialed.

_Ring. Ring. Ring._

"Not answering…"

_Shut up! You know she's probably asleep by now after a long day's work! So you'd better damn well have a good one-liner prepared for when she asks why the hell you called this late!_

Finally there was a slight clicking noise and a tired voice groaned, "Hello?"

You know it's real when them uttering the word "Hello" can set your heart racing, and Bumi's felt like a wild ostrich-horse was thundering inside his chest.

"Hey," he said a little too loudly. "Hey Lin!"

_That's all you've got? "Hey?" You lily-livered moron..._

"Bumi?" She sounded groggy, probably, as his head-voice had assumed, tired from a long day at work. "Do you have any idea how late it is?"

"Nice to hear from you too."

_THERE'S that one-liner. Now, move in real easy._

He sat up straighter, feeling his confidence lifting. "How's it going?"

"Fine," she said slowly. "What do you want?"

"What, a guy can't call just to hear your voice?"

_Humor is always good._

She was quiet for a few seconds before asking, "Are you drunk?"

"In a way," he replied, smiling to himself. "I'm drunk on life. Care to get tipsy with me?"

_Okay, now you're just being creepy._

"What? Okay, listen, whatever you called to talk about, can it wait until I see you tomorrow?"

_You see what you did? You scared her off!_

It was his turn to be quiet. Then he said, "Well...no."

She let out a loud sigh. "Why?"

"Because…

_For hell's sake, just lay it out!_

"Well, we've spent a lot of time together lately."

She let out small huff of a laugh. "So I noticed."

"And I just felt like telling you that it's nice. Really nice and...I like being around you." By now the stress of the situation had caused him to start sweating. He wiped his brow and forced himself to say the last, crucial part.

"And I like you. Okay, that's out-of-the-way, so I'm just gonna-

"Hey!" She barked at him as he moved to hang up. "Hold up there!"

_If you hang up I'll never respect you again._

"Um...yeah?" He loosened his collar a bit, desperately trying to make himself comfortable.

"Repeat that last part.."

With a sigh he put the receiver back to his ear. "You heard me: I like you. I'm crazy about you in fact. What more do you want?"

This time she didn't miss a beat before saying, "I want you to take me to that wrestling match tomorrow night."

He blinked. "What?"

"Well, is it a date or not?"

"Um...yes?"

"Good. See you tomorrow. And in the future, don't call this late."

As the line went dead, Bumi sat there in total silence, shell-shocked by what had just happened. He had a date. An actually honest to goodness date with the woman he'd been pining after for weeks.

_And it would have happened sooner if you'd just listened to me!_

Finally it sunk in completely and the wild man burst into his usual insatiable grin. He jumped up from his spot and started doing a silent victory dance. Unfortunately right in the middle of this dance someone happened to walk in.

"Bumi?"

He turned to see Pema staring at him and couldn't help but grin all over again.

"Say Pems," he interjected before she could ask what he was doing. "You know that thing you about just telling the other person how you feel?"

Pema stared at her brother-in-law carefully, hoping she wasn't going to have to fetch help. "Yes," she replied slowly.

"Couldn't agree more! It worked for me! And I have you and the voices in my head to thank for it!"

Without waiting for a response he pecked her on the cheek and dashed off to bed. Pema was left standing there, totally confused.

_Just don't think about it,_ a tired voice told her, and she completely agreed with it.

* * *

**No real theme for this one. Just a couple of loose ideas I thought I'd slap together into one. Hey, creativity can come from anywhere, right?**


	35. Awkward

In her own eyes, Lin was the model of level-headedness. After all, she'd faced armed assailants, explosions, and uncomfortable social dinners all without going to pieces.

But now, as she stood in the airship and watched her sister Suyin sitting on the couch, talking and laughing with Bumi, she couldn't but feel just a bit...peeved.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Su was saying.

"No, I'm serious!" Bumi insisted. "Eight snowstorms, all in a row! By the time it was over I was so cold I thought they were gonna have to thaw me out."

The metalbender shook her head and smiled. "Bumi you haven't changed a bit."

Lin had decided to clear out of the room, and as she passed by she heard Su she coldly commented, "You'd know wouldn't you?"

Bumi watched Lin go and turned to Su with a frown. "What's her problem?"

Su rolled her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I don't know. But if I had to guess it'd be that she's still mad at us about that thing."

"What thing?" Opal looked up from the Pai Sho game she was playing with Bolin to question her mother.

The pair blushed and glanced away, not wanting to answer.

"Um, nothing sweetie."

"Ooohhh, I sense a secret," Bolin said, wiggling his eyebrows. "I wanna know!"

"No you don't," Bumi said bluntly.

"What, is it something big?" Korra asked from her place on the opposite couch.

"No, of course not," Su said in a rushed tone. "Not at all. Nothing worth talking about. I'm going to go check Lin now."

She hopped up and sped out of the room, leaving Bumi to face the storm of questions from the kids. She made her way to the room her sister was sleeping in while they stayed on the luxury airship and knocked on the door.

"What?"

"Can I come in?"

There was a pause. Then Lin let out a groan loud enough that Su could hear it through the door before she said, "Fine."

Su opened the door to find her sister laying on the bed flipping through an old photo album. She sat on the edge of the bed and asked, "Why'd you bring that?"

"Thought Katara might like to see some of these. Heard she's making a scrapbook."

"Oh."

The two looked at the photos for a minute before Su finally broke the silence to ask, "Are you mad at me?"

"Kind of."

"Why?"

Lin sighed, pushed the album away, and pressed her face into the bed. She stayed like that for a moment, trying to straighten out her thoughts before she spoke. The cop rolled her head to the side slightly and looked at her sister. "Why'd you do it?"

Su huffed, "Lin…"

"Just why? Of all the people why him?"

"Because I was twenty and I wanted to," she replied flatly. She crawled onto the bed fully and laid down so that they were eye to eye. "Why are you still upset about it?"

"Oh, I don't know," Lin said and rolled over on her back. "Why _would_ I be upset that my little sister slept with one of my closest friends just to spite me?"

Su groaned into the mattress.

"It was a long time ago!"

"It still happened."

"I thought we were over this stuff."

"This is different. You actually tried to hurt me. And it worked."

Su's ears perked up at this and she sat up to look at her sister. "Are you," she said slowly, "...do you like him?"

Lin clenched her jaw and shut her eyes. "Why do you care?"

The metalbending matriarch's jaw dropped as she stared at her sister in surprise. "Lin...I had no idea...I mean I always knew the two of you were close but-."

"But what?" Lin sat up herself and swung her feet onto the floor. "But how could I care about him when I went out with Tenzin? How could he mean anything if we're both so different? But why didn't I ever say anything?"

"I thought I was supposed to be the one asking the questions," Su joked, trying to ease some of the tension. When it didn't work she said, "Lin, I'm sorry. I just didn't know. When he and I...well, got together, it was because we were both drunk and lonely and missing home. And I guess that, yes, there was a little part of me that thought I could use it to get back at you. But that was because I thought you were close friends. I never imagined you liked him as more than that."

Lin stood up and turned to her sister with her arms crossed over her chest, saying, "Well, I did. Things have just never worked out. We've always been at the wrong stages in our lives, different places that would make a relationship impossible. So I never spoke up. And now I'm too old to care." It didn't take a genius to tell that the last one was a lie; but it did worry Su. She'd never heard her sister call herself old, and was shocked to hear her say it. Lin had never had a problem with aging. She even joked that she couldn't possibly get older because she was too busy. If she was insulting herself it was because she was _really_ upset.

"Are you sure?" she asked, trying to keep the conversation from slipping away. "I mean, you don't want to spend the rest of your life wondering what would have happened, do you?"

The Chief shrugged. "I have a lot of questions that start with "What if", Su." She reached a hand down to touch the old album and said in a voice just above a whisper, "One more isn't gonna kill me."

Su's face scrunched as she stared at her older sister, wishing desperately that her sister would knock it off and turn back into the grumpy, sarcastic woman who fluctuated between laid-back and uptight on a whim. Not this sad, lonely person staring at the old black and white photos.

That was when she decided to take matters into her own hands.

"Do you mind if I borrow this?" She asked this after a few moments of silence and fingered the corner, trying to seem casual. Lin gave her a gesture of 'go ahead,' and she took the album and left, but not before giving her a hug that was too quick to be shoved off.

Once outside the room she stood in the hall quickly formulating a plan. She realized she'd need help and cornered Tenzin in the hallway.

"What do you want?" The airbender seemed flustered, eager to get back to his room and study old texts.

"I need your help with something," Su said. She quickly gave a brief explanation, ignoring the eye-rolls she got in response. Once finished she asked, "Well? Are you in or not?"

Tenzin furrowed his brow. "WIll I regret this later?"

"If all goes as planned, no."

"Alright then."

A while later, Bumi was still in the main room of the airship, lazing on the same couch, relieved that the kids had given up peppering him with questions and turned to other activities. He watched as Bum Ju flitted around overhead, chirping to him about his latest adventures in the Spirit World.

"Gee, with all the fun you're having, it's a wonder you ever come here," Bumi teased. The little dragonfly-bunny spirit let out a high trill of alarm, thinking his friend didn't know he cared. Bumi chuckled to ease the spirits worries. Just then Tenzin arrived and Bum Ju decided it was a good time to leave.

Bumi pouted and glared at his brother. "What is it with you and scaring off my little spirit buddy?"

Tenzin rolled his eyes, already regretting this. "Nothing," he said, trying to remember the details of the speech he was supposed to give. "I was just bored and felt like doing something."

"Then why don't you go to your nerd cave?"

Tenzin's eye twitched. "Because," he said slowly, trying to hold in his irritation, "I felt more in the mood for something different. Like maybe...a competitive sport. I know! Would you like to arm wrestle?"

That got Bumi's attention. The Commander sat up straight and gave his brother a cock-eyed stare. "Arm wrestle? You?"

"Yes," Tenzin said, having to really force it now. "I mean, normally I don't go for such cheap, vulgar attempts at displaying masculinity, but right now I'm just really in the mood for it. And who better to go up against than the strongest person on the ship?"

Bumi wasn't a genius in the conventional sense, but he sure as Spirits knew when someone was trying to pull something over on him, and this was no exception. He looked his brother up and down for a moment, trying to figure out what angle he could possibly be working. But he did love a good arm wrestling match. It was one of his favorite ways to show off. Finally pride won out and he flashed a confident grin at his brother. "Who better, indeed?"

The two knelt on opposite sides of the coffee table and got to it. Bumi gripped Tenzin's hand tightly, making the younger man wince as he flexed his arm muscles and pushed with all his might. He might've been doing this for Su, but there was no way he was going to just _let_ his brother win.

Tenzin was actually surprised to find out how good his brother was at this. Part of it probably came from experience, while the rest could be owed to his arms. He himself wasn't out of shape by any means, but he lacked Bumi's vast upper body muscle.

After a minute or so Tenzin started to sweat. After about two minutes he gave up and groaned as he felt his hand smack against the table.

"HA!" Bumi threw his head back and laughed at his brother. "Just goes to show you Tenzy: you never go up against an unbeatable opponent."

Tenzin realized this was where he was supposed to say his line. "Gee, you're right. You are unbeatable. I wonder if there's anyone on this entire ship who could beat you."

"What's going on?" Lin asked as she entered the room.

"Oh, hey Lin," Bumi greeted her casually, hoping that she wasn't still mad at him. "You just missed me beating Tenzin at arm wrestling."

"Wrestling, huh?" Su popped out from behind Lin, grinning a little too widely. "Gee that sounds familiar! Lin, didn't you and Bumi used to do that when we were kids?"

Lin raised an eyebrow at her sister's odd behavior, wondering what she could be up to. Bumi of course took the opportunity to brag. "Sure did," he said, moving from his knees to sit on the floor. "And you know, she never _once _managed to win."

"Hey, that's not fair," Lin said defensively. "I was younger than you!"

"And you're still younger than me," Bumi pointed out. "And you still couldn't beat me."

Lin glared at him. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"Well why don't you put your arm where your mouth is?"

One 'come at me' gesture later, they had their elbows ground into the table, hands clasped, pushing with all their might and exchanging smug grins.

"Can I leave now?" Tenzin whispered to Su.

"No," she replied. "Not until they're done." Tenzin sighed with irritation. His annoyance turned out to not be without merit, as Lin and Bumi were still struggling after twenty minutes of non-stop force.

"Give up Beifong," Bumi grunted. "You can't beat me! I've gone up against guys twice my size and left them wondering what happened."

"Oh, yeah," Lin retorted, a bead of sweat rolling down her forehead. "Well I bet you've left a lot of women with that feeling too."

Su smiled as the two argued back and forth. Everything was going perfectly. And then, finally, a hand hit the table with a resounding _SMACK_!

"NO!" Bumi pressed his palms into his eyes. "It can't be!"

"Who's unbeatable now?" Lin taunted.

_FLASH!_

Lin and Bumi rubbed their eyes and groaned at the bright light, and saw that it had been Su snapping a picture of them. "What?" she asked. "I was just capturing it for posterity! Sort of like these others…"

She tossed the photo album, open, onto the coffee table before saying, "Well, I'd better go take care of some stuff. See you later!"

Tenzin and Su sped out of the room leaving the older siblings to stare after them. Lin shook her head. "I'll never get those two."

"Me neither," Bumi said as he pulled the book closer. "That's why I gave up trying. Hey!" He jabbed his finger at one of the pictures. "Here's me and you!"

Sure enough it was them as children, standing in the courtyard at the Temple, sparring with wooden swords. Lin gave a small half-smile as Bumi nudged her a little to say, "I remember you were pretty good."

"You weren't bad yourself, Navy boy."

They continued to look through the book, smiling at the familiar faces and long forgotten memories. In many of them they could be seen standing near each other in the background, or off to the side laughing about something.

"Makes you think," he said after a while.

"About what?"

"I dunno," he said with a tiny shrug. "Stuff." He let that hang in the air for a moment before he said, "Listen Lin...I'm really sorry about what happened with Su all those years ago."

Lin rolled her eyes, incredulous that she could be having this conversation twice in a row. "It's no big deal," she grumbled.

"No, it is a big deal. I mean I can only imagine how ticked I'd be if one of my best friends slept with Kya. Of course most of my friends are guys, so that wouldn't work, but-."

"Bumi!" Lin held up a hand to silence him. "It's fine, okay? I get it. You were lonely. Things happened. Can we just not talk about it?"

"But I feel like we _need_ to talk about it."

"Fine," Lin said, throwing her hands up in submission. "You want to talk? Let's talk about how damn awkward it is for me knowing you've been with my little sister!"

"Oh yeah?" Bumi countered. "Well it's pretty damn awkward for me, knowing that you've been with my little brother!"

"Well maybe I wish it wasn't awkward, considering we haven't actually been with them in a long time!"

"Well maybe I do too! And maybe I've been wanting to talk about this for a long time but didn't have the guts to because I thought you'd be too pissed off at me for it to be an actual conversation!"

"Well maybe you mean a whole lot to me and maybe I've missed you for a long time and being around you these past few months has been really nice!"

"WELL MAYBE I LIKE YOU!"

"MAYBE I LIKE YOU TOO!"

The two stopped abruptly when they realized what they were doing and how stupid this was getting.

"I…" Lin tried to form a coherent sentence but couldn't find the right words. Finally she asked, "What now?"

"I think," Bumi said slowly, "that maybe we just cleared up some issues that we needed to for a long time."

"Yeah," Lin said carefully. "Yeah we did. So I guess this means we're on even ground again."

"Yeah."

They stared at each other, but this time it was neither tense nor awkward. After a minute Bumi reached over and put a hand on her shoulder and she leaned in closer until they were hugging.

"This is weird," she mumbled.

"Good weird or bad weird?"

"Good."

"Good."

Su peaked in through the doorway right about then and smiled at the sight of the two embracing one another. Even if they weren't officially together, it was a still a step in the right direction, and Su knew she wouldn't have to worry about her sister. After all, f anyone could keep Lin from being down, it would be Bumi.

Though naturally she was a bit startled when Lin spoke up, "Go away Su." The metalbender blushed and crept away and the two quit hugging.

"How long was she there?" Bumi asked.

"Almost the whole time," Lin replied. "But that's not important right now. I need to know...are we really gonna do this?"

"This? You mean you and me?"

"I mean us."

"Us? Of course we're going to do us. I've been wanting to us for a while now."

"Same here."

They finally smiled at one another and Bumi rested his head on her shoulder.

"I missed you Linny."

"I missed you too, Boomer," she whispered, a small part of her relieved to know that one of her What Ifs was soon to be answered.

Now their only problem was going to be dodging questions until they were ready to announce that they were together; because quite frankly the teenagers could be a persistent bunch. Not to mention that Su would go down as saying that she was responsible for them getting together, a fact which they would both deny until the end of time. Even if it was kinda true.

* * *

**Wrote this late, sorry if it sucks. Sorry about the slow updating but school's been terrible so usually when I get home I just crash. But I'm glad to see you guys are still enjoying this stuff.**

**An apology to Vanessa Masters: sorry it took so long for me to write this request, and I'm sorry it came out kinda meh, but I really wanted to do it for you while I had the chance. Hope you still like it!**

**And actually, yeah, I like the idea of Raiko trying to step in and be his usual jerky self. So, when I get a chance, I plan to make that the next chapter. Heck, if all goes to plan I might make it a two-parter. Maybe. **

**Again, sorry, I'm just really stressed lately and when that happens something has to give. With luck I'll be back soon, and in the mean time I have to thank you guys again for your reviews, favorites, and follows. They really do make a difference.**


	36. Separation

President Raiko was a bit of a serious man. Well, more than serious. To put it bluntly, a search and rescue team probably couldn't find his light-hearted side. As such, while most people would've looked around the Detective Department of Police Headquarters and seen Commander Bumi cheering up a group of depressed cops, what he saw was a problem. A big problem.

"So then," the retired sailor-turned-airbender said, "the guy just collapses! I'm telling you, we kept them up so late with the noise they didn't have the strength to fight us!"

"Excuse me," the President said as he approached the group of officers that had crowded around Bumi, "but don't you all have work to do?"

Several of them started at the sight of the President, dipping their heads quickly as a sign of respect and greeted him.

"Forgive us President Raiko," one of the younger officers said. "We just so caught up in the Commander's story that-."

"Rather than standing here and explaining, why don't you get back to your job, hm?"

"But I was just getting to the best part," Bumi pleaded as his audience dispersed. He turned to the President looking disappointed. "I figured they could use a break."

"That's not your decision to make, Commander," Raiko replied curtly, glaring as he said Bumi's title. "Speaking of which, why are you here at the Headquarters in the first place?"

Bumi folded his arms and replied, "I came to see the Chief. That a problem?"

"Perhaps," Raiko said, his glare intensifying.

As the tension between the two men hit its peak, Chief Beifong chose that exact moment to walk out of her office. At the sight of the President she rushed over and administered a hasty nod while saying, "Forgive me Mr. President. I wasn't aware you were coming by."

"No trouble," Raiko replied without taking his eyes off Bumi. When he did look away he said, "What's say we take this into your office?"

Lin led the way, but not before throwing a look in Bumi's direction. The Commander seemed to take this as an invitation to leave and did so. Raiko noted this as he followed her, telling his two body guards to wait outside the door.

Inside he gestured for her to sit, saying, "I want to keep this as informal as possible. I simply came because I noticed an issue arising which I felt we needed to discuss."

"And what issue would that be, Sir?" At his request, she sat, folding her hands atop the desk politely. "Is it a matter of security?"

"In a way," he replied. He noticed a picture frame sitting on her desk and casually turned it around. The frame held a picture of the Chief standing with the Commander in Republic City Park, sitting on a bench and smiling at the camera, while a small blue creature floated overhead. "You see," he continued, taking the picture to study it, "I'm concerned that you're attention isn't being focused on the important things; that perhaps you're being distracted."

Beifong stared at him, trying to understand. First he showed up without warning, now he was accusing her of being unfocused? Part of her wished she didn't have to kowtow to him, but he was the head of the United Republic, so she said carefully, "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that you and the Commander have caused quite a stir in Republic City. The two of you have appeared in the papers and in the public together quite a bit lately. I've noticed that he's even appeared in some of the pictures of crime-related articles."

"Yes, Sir, I know," she said a bit sheepishly. "He has a habit of showing up near the crime scenes. But I can assure you that he's never gotten involved, nor has he interfered with official police business. He just likes to watch the action."

"Yes." Raiko set this picture down and folded his hands as he looked Lin in the eye. "He also has a habit of showing up here at the Police Station."

"He was bringing me my lunch," she explained. "As for the storytelling, well, I find that it boosts morale. And as long as he's only here for brief periods of time-."

"He is a distraction," Raiko interrupted.

Until that statement, Beifong had been willing to pretend that this was just a friendly business meeting. But that one sentence sealed things and left a hostile chill in the air. She pressed her lips together as he continued.

"Beifong, times in Republic City are hard at the moment. New airbenders are cropping up, Red Lotus members could be lurking anywhere, and the vine problem is still at large. Not to mention that the Triad gangs are taking advantage of all this tumult by hitting up unsuspecting victims and raiding abandoned shops. With all of this going on, the people of Republic City need to know that the administrators are on their side - especially us."

"Us?"

"Yes. I represent the face of Republic City's political needs, while you represent its need for justice. As such, we are a team; one that fights to move Republic City toward brighter days."

Raiko stood up and walked around to stand beside her. She began to rise, but he grabbed her shoulder and firmly pushed her back into the chair. Frustrated, she gritted her teeth and gripped the arms of the chair.

"And as a team," he said slowly, reaching for the picture once more, "we are both obligated to put all our attention on our City, and everything else on the back burner." On these last words he place the frame face down on the desk. Beifong watched as Bumi's smiling face slipped out of view and quickly got the message.

"I understand," she said carefully, turning her gaze on the President. "I'll refrain from being seen in public with him."

"Actually, I'd like you to do better than that," Raiko said as he looked down to meet her eyes once more. "I'd like you to simply _not see him_."

Her eyes widened and she jumped up before he could force her down again. "What?" She stared at him, too shocked to be angry. "How can you possibly ask that of me?"

"It's really a simple request," he said. "For now I need to be the only partner you have."

Anger finally made its appearance and she glared at him, balling her hands into fists. "And if I _refuse_?"

"Then I can find someone who is willing to comply to my orders." He looked over his glasses at her and added, "I hear Captain Saikhan has been missing the Chief position."

She was trapped. She let her body go slack and considered his request. If she denied him, she lost her job. If she complied, she lost Bumi, at least for a while.

She closed her eyes and let out a slow breath. "I understand Sir, and will as you ask." She quickly added, "But only as long as it takes to get things back under control."

"So be it," Raiko said. Then he had the audacity to give her a little smile. "Good to see you, Chief."

Then he left, taking his bodyguards with him. She watched him go, and the second he shut the door she grabbed a paper weight off the desk and hurled it across the room, venting her anger.

As she sank back into her chair she pressed her hands to her face, trying to calm down. Without looking up she reached over and picked up the picture frame. She pulled it closer and looked at the photo once more.

_How can I…_

She shut her eyes and tossed the picture into a drawer, slamming it closed. Then she sat there, trying to figure out how she was going to tell him.

* * *

"WHAT?!"

Lin grimaced and held the receiver away from her ear, waiting for him to calm down.

"What do you mean?" Bumi continued, his mouth gaping in disbelief. "He can't just keep us apart!"

"Technically he can," Lin said, readjusting the phone piece to her ear. "It's either we stay apart for a while or he fires me. And as much as I love you-"

"I know," he groaned. He sunk to the floor, his back against the wall. "A few weeks apart versus ending your lifelong career and legacy. I think we all know who wins that one."

She closed her eyes and leaned back into the couch with a sigh. "I'm sorry, Honey."

"Whoa...Honey?" He managed a chuckle. "You must be really sorry to be using pet names."

"I am," she agreed. "This is awful. We had so many plans for the next few weeks!"

"No kidding," he grunted. "I have a few restaurant reservations to cancel now. Kwong's, Lu's, Little Flameo…"

"_Little Flameo?_" Lin slumped in her seat. "You mean the place we went on our first date?"

"With the noodles, yes," he sighed. "I even had the same table reserved. I thought we could go there next week for our anniversary."

Lin's eyes widened. "I forgot that was next week...UGH!" She kicked the coffee table, sending it flying across the room. "This is so idiotic! What does he think? That just because I'm going out with someone, that I won't be able to do _anything_ else properly? That selfish, misogynistic…"

"Whoa! Calm down. Look, I agree with you, but do anything irrational. After all, this can't last forever. And in the mean time we can always call each other, right?"

"Sure, until he starts tapping the phone lines."

"Don't be like that," he complained. "This is hard for both of us, you know."

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry. And in answer to your question, yes, I plan to call you often."

"Great," he said, forcing a small smile. "So, I guess for now this is...goodbye."

"For now, yes." She added, in a gentler tone, "I love you."

"I love you more," he murmured.

They both hung up and closed their eyes, wondering how they were going to do this.

And so it began. The two managed to swallow their pride and obeyed orders, Lin burying herself in work while Bumi distracted himself with airbending training and watching his nieces and nephews. Weeks went by where Bumi didn't see Lin once, only hearing from her for an hour or so every other night. During these calls the conversation was kept simple, focused mainly on how their days went, what they were doing. Neither of them asked the obvious question: how long was this going to last?

After three weeks of their separation, she visited President Raiko in the temporary office he'd rented while his old one was occupied by vines. She asked him if 'things in Republic City' had improved yet. He adjusted his glass carefully and said, "No."

She stared at him. This was their Republic's leader? A man so obsessed with having things run his way that he would do this?

"Next election, I'm running," she told Bumi that night. He gave a delighted laugh and said, "I can see it now! Beifong for President! Vote for her, and she'll guarantee a pain in every neck!"

Of course, they weren't the only ones affected. Bum Ju had gotten so used to going to Lin's apartment that the little spirit was shocked when Bumi wasn't there. He continued to show up every now and, rather than leaving, would stay for a while and snuggle up in Lin's lap. The Chief wondered how much of this the spirit understood. On one such evening she stroked the little creature's back and asked, "Why do you keep coming here?"

"Scree."

"Is it because you feel bad for me? Or are you just trying to make sure I still like you?"

"_Scree._"

"Both it is, then."

Bumi's family was as supportive as they could be, given the circumstances. Kya took time to meditate with her brother, while Tenzin tried to make training more stimulating for Bumi's style. Ikki and Meelo were a bit harder, as they didn't get why their Aunt Lin couldn't just arrest whoever was bossing her around, but they of course loved occupying their Uncle's extra time. Out of everyone on the island, though, Mako was the one who quickly became Bumi's best friend (much to Bolin's jealousy). Whenever the young detective returned from a long day of work the Commander would immediately start asking him questions about the Chief, with Mako supplying the answers he thought were best. He didn't figure Bumi needed to know the truth.

Because even though Lin had complied to Raiko's orders, he was still giving her a hard time. Every day she had to deal with not just her own work, but also extra assignments the President felt she needed to handle _personally_. To top it off, once he dumped something on her, he usually dragged her away from her office for a public address or interview that he felt he needed his "partner" for. She started to really _hate_ cameras, not to mention the reporters that held them.

"Chief, what about the vine situation?"

"Is it true that the Agni Kais have sources inside the Police force?"

"What do you plan to do about the recent rumors of a serial killer on the loose?"

On and on and on they badgered her, with Raiko standing back and letting them. She gave her usual brief statements, only providing as much information as was fit. It would've been fine, if it didn't happen nearly every day, pictures of her splashed across the paper each morning alongside the President.

"President Raiko?" Beifong caught up to him after an interview. He and his bodyguards turned as one to face her.

"Yes, Chief?"

"I wanted to know...if perhaps now we could...discuss Republic City's well being?"

The President studied her for a moment, adjusted his glasses and said, "No."

After a while their situation began to take its toll. Together, they had always balanced each other out. Apart, they both became listless and moody. Without her around to tease and talk to he started pestering people for attention. Even Mako got sick of it. To make things worse, the poor kid also had to deal with his the Chief constantly getting on everyone's case. Without Bumi to hand around and listen to her, she became her old grumpy self, barking at people when they wronged her.

He drank too much, she slept too little, and they both developed irregular sleep patterns. They knew they needed to hold things together. But after a year of building each other up, apart, they just felt too unstable.

"I love you," he murmured over the phone one night. She didn't answer. "Lin?"

"Bumi...I've been thinking...maybe we shouldn't call so often. I mean...maybe it's just making things worse."

"But Lin," he replied, trying to think of an excuse, anything to make her reconsider. "If we don't talk then, how will we…"

He couldn't bring himself to say it.

"Goodnight Bumi." He listened to the click and thought back to his days in the United Forces when his bunkmates would belly ache about how much they missed their partners. He'd always teased them. But it didn't feel funny anymore.

A month or two went by and things got worse. Bumi started getting hostile toward people, to the point he started causing fights among the new Airbending recruits. Meanwhile, the whole Police department started to feel the effects as their chief became so tired she was nearly unable to function. Raiko had started putting her on so many assignment lately that she almost never slept, only catching a few winks between work hours.

One day Saikhan walked in while she was sleeping and shook her awake. "You think maybe you should go home?" He looked her over, the woman he'd once been with, and wondered how she could still be standing.

"Can't," she mumbled. "Have to finish…"

"But Lin…"

"Just...just let me finish…"

On the Island Tenzin found Bumi on the hillside, sitting on the edge of a cliff, staring at the horizon as the sun set over Yue Bay. "Hey," the younger man said, awkwardly trying to start a conversation.

"Hey," Bumi said, taking a swig from his flask.

"Haven't you had enough?"

"Probably."

"Wanna give that to me?"

He did so, chucking it at his brother. "Doesn't taste that great anyway."

"You miss her, don't you?"

"What was your first clue?"

Tenzin looked at the flask, running his thumb along the silver surface. He said quietly, "It's tough being away from the people you love."

Bumi lolled his head to the side and squinted at his sibling. "You wouldn't be talking about me, would you?"

"Let's just say that I don't hate you as much as I wish I did. Plus you were away from home, a LOT."

Bumi shook his head and threw an arm around the bending master. "Well, I'm here now. And thanks for being here for me, Baldy."

"No problem, Hairy."

Then, one day, it reached its peak. President Raiko was giving a public address, while Chief Beifong stood nearby for both protection and support. She hadn't slept or eaten in days. As the President spoke her hearing faded in and out with her fatigue. She looked out over the crowd.

Then she thought she saw him, standing in the center of the mob, just behind a few rows of reporters. He face was expressionless, his hands tucked into his United Forces coat. Whether it was her imagination or not, he was there, looking at her. And something about that brought comfort.

Through the fuzziness she heard her name being said and turned to see Raiko gesturing for her to come over. Any other time she would've just walked over and delivered her public police report the way she was supposed to, but now she was too tired to even remember where she was. She stared at his outstretched hand. Then she looked back to her maybe-imaginary-Bumi.

Then her vision got even fuzzier and she felt herself falling.

* * *

She woke up in his arms, his face close to hers, a hand pressed to her cheek.

"Hey there," he murmured gently as she blinked awake.

"What…" She couldn't finish her sentence.

"Sh," he told her. "It's all okay. You just got a little too tired."

"What," she tried again, sitting up a bit, "are you...doing… You can't be here…"

"But I am here," he said gently, stroking her cheek with his thumb.

"But Raiko will…"

"Oh, good, you're awake!" Lin turned to see Raiko's wife, Buttercup, coming over. At the sight she gave up arguing and slumped against Bumi, turning her face away from the woman.

"You know Lin, you're really lucky," Buttercup said as she reached the couch where Bumi had put Lin. "You should've seen the way he ran to help you - oh it was romantic!"

Lin stared at the man she'd been waiting months to see and replied, "I guess I am lucky."

Bumi smiled as he sat her up a bit, holding a cup of water to her lips while Buttercup looked on in awe. The tender moment was of course ruined when Raiko showed up.

"Excuse me, Commander," the President said, "but if you don't mind I'd like to take the Chief to a doctor. You're assistance is no longer needed."

Bumi glared at the President and shot back, "If you think I'm leaving, you're nuts. I don't care if you do fire her. The way you've overworked her it'd probably be better at this point."

Raiko gritted his teeth in indignation. "How dare you! Guards."

"Bumi…" Lin mumbled, trying to tell him to stop, but finding herself unable to help as Raiko's bodyguards moved toward her beau.

"Wait!"

Everyone paused to look at Buttercup, who was staring at her husband in shock. "Dear, what on Earth are you doing?"

"It's nothing," Raiko explained. "The Commander is simply disobeying my orders."

"Yeah, your orders to stay away from my girlfriend for as long as possible," Bumi spat. Buttercup's jaw dropped in shock and Raiko stumbled to recover.

"WHAT?"

"Now Darling, that's not…"

"How could you _do that_? Tearing these two apart! Why how would you feel if someone tried to do that to us, hm? No; I won't stand for this! Raiko, you will leave these two to their own affairs or SO HELP ME-

"Alright!" Raiko cried grabbing his wife by the shoulders to calm her. "Alright. Fine. We're leaving."

With that the guards stepped back and followed Raiko out the door. Buttercup walked over to the now freed couple and told them, "I'm so sorry about all that. He gets so high-strung sometimes. But don't you worry: I'll make sure nothing like this happens ever again."

"You'd do that?" Lin mumbled.

"Of course, honey," Buttercup said with a wave of her hand. "We ladies have to stick together after all. Besides, you two are all Republic City can talk about: you're everyone's favorite couple. What we need right now is a little morale boost, and I can't think of something that's better than seeing two people happy together."

With that she waved to them and left. Bumi turned back to her and said, "Feeling better?"

"Much," she said, sitting up fully. He sat next to her and she laid her head on his chest.

"I missed you," she whispered.

"I missed you more," he said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

After that they never spent more than a week apart. Because while a search and rescue team couldn't find Raiko's sensitive side, his wife could spot it in a heartbeat.


	37. Going Soft

Lin stood in the doorway of the Air Temple, watching as Jinora took her first glider flight as a Master Airbender. Below her, the other new Airbenders watched in awe, most likely imagining the day when they'd be able to join the young girl in the skies.

With everyone milling about, talking, rejoicing in the defeat of the Red Lotus (at least for the time) Lin couldn't help but find herself giving a small smile.

"I saw that."

The smile turned into a confused frown as she turned to see Bumi watching her, a smirk stretched across his wizened face.

"Saw what?" She tried to act nonchalant, even narrowed her eyes at him, but he wasn't one to be brushed off easily.

"That little smile of yours."

The metalbender let out a huff and rolled her eyes, turning away from her older friend. "So what? It's nice outside, everyone's happy, and my sister hasn't talked to me in an hour. Why shouldn't I smile?"

"Oh, you can't fool me Beifong," he said as he came to stand beside her. "Su told me about that little 'I love you' you gave her before running off to play Hero."

Lin grumbled, thinking how that was just like her younger sibling.

"Not to mention how nice you've been to Korra lately," the Commander added in a seemingly casual tone. "And you seemed pretty concerned when you found out me and Kya were all banged up." He gestured to the sling that still held his arm.

"So?" She glanced at him quickly before deliberately looking at the crowd out front, filled with humans and spirits alike. "What's your point?"

"My point is," he said slowly, "you're going soft."

That caught her attention. She rounded on him, green eyes piercing and snapped, "WHAT?"

"You heard me," he teased, jabbing a finger in her face, his blue eyes dancing with mirth. "That iron heart of yours is getting softer _every day_!"

She smacked his hand away, eliciting a yelp from him. He sucked on his knuckle and gave her hurt expression. She gave him a glare in return, one that intensified as he removed his knuckle and snickered at her once more.

"I'm not getting soft," she insisted. "I'm just learning how to get used to people, how to be a little less abrasive, how to…" She stopped when she noticed him raising an eyebrow at her, and realized she wasn't making a very convincing argument. With a groan she crossed her arms over her chest and turned away.

"Aw, but don't worry Linny," he muttered in a tone that was near genuine. "Your secret's safe with me."

She looked at him and saw he was giving her a gentle smile. And after a minute she decided, what the heck? It was Bumi after all. And she smiled in return.

"Ya got a pretty nice smile there, slugger," he said as he made a fist and gave her a friendly tap to the jaw.

"Not bad yourself, wolf man," she snarked.

The two shared a grin, thinking back to old times before things were so complicated, before she had to constantly worry about the image she purveyed.

"Hey Uncle Bumi!" The two looked up to see Meelo waving in their direction. "Wanna come try out the glider?"

Bumi gave Lin a nervous look and said, "Wish me luck!" Lin watched as he hopped down the steps, and thought that maybe he was right. Maybe her heart was getting ready to accept more. And as she observed his clumsy attempt to imitate the other gliders, inciting laughter in his nephew and several of the airbenders, she wondered what her heart would let in next.

* * *

**Decided to go short and sweet for this one. **

**To TheEvilMelonLord: Oh my God, THANK YOU. I mean, I can understand fully why people enjoy speedy updates. But for someone to appreciate the fact that I'm trying to take time to put out quality rather than quantity means so much. Granted, tonight's isn't a great example, but that's more because I feel I have a deadline to meet. So thank you. Also, you are right, that was a typo. Sometimes I get to a point where I'm typing so fast I don't see the words anymore and that's one of those errors that Spell Check doesn't pick up. *shrug***

**Okay, this might bite me in the butt, but I'm more likely to follow through if I share it with people so here it goes: I make it to Chapter 40 by Friday. Yeah! (Now watch it not happen.)**


	38. Not so Bad

Bumi mindlessly pushed his toy carriage back and forth on the floor. He didn't find any joy in the action, but he felt he needed to do something to pass the time. Finally he gave up, sighed, and rolled onto his back.

Normally he'd be playing with others about now. But unfortunately, both Kya and Tenzin were sick, leaving their mother occupied, while his father was off on Avatar duties. Even his Uncle Sokka was busy, having been called to sort out some disputes going on in the Southern Water Tribe. This left Bumi all alone, with no one to talk to. Sometimes being eight could be lonely.

He got up and, without any set destination, started walking around the house. He had to keep quiet, so that the patients (and an exhausted Katara) could rest. He peeked into random, empty rooms until finally he came across a not-so-empty one.

Inside was a small crib containing his (sort of) Aunt Toph's six-month-old baby. She came to the Island often, as her mother was often detained by her work, and today was no exception. With the nursery being used for quarantine, she'd been moved to a separate room to take her nap.

Bumi heard squeaking noises coming from the crib's general direction and wandered over. The baby had woken up and was now waving her arms and legs around for her own amusement. At the sound of footsteps she turned her head to see the boy peeking through the bars at her.

"'Sup Baby?"

Bumi knew she had a name, but since the adults usually referred to her as 'the baby' or, when she was with Tenzin, 'the babies', he didn't feel the need to call her anything else. Plus it made his Uncle laugh when he greeted her with a "Hey, Baby, how's it going?"

Now, the tiny girl stuck opened her mouth and let out an unintelligible string of noise. Bumi shook his head. He'd never understood the fascination with babies. They always seemed useless to him: they couldn't walk, they couldn't talk, and they couldn't even eat without assistance. What was the point?, he wondered.

But, as it was, he didn't have anything better to do. So he watched her for a minute and attempted to have a conversation.

"Some weather we're having."

She stared at him.

"See any good plays lately?"

She sucked on her knuckle.

"So. You're a baby. What's that like?"

She rolled onto her side and sneezed at him.

"I thought so."

Having grown bored he said, "I don't get why the adults are so crazy about you and Tenzin. I mean, if anything, they should be crazy about me! I mean, look what I can do!"

With a bit of effort, he managed to do a perfect handstand, proudly waving his legs around in the air… Before promptly collapsing to the floor with a shout.

As he brushed himself off he heard a funny sound. Then he realized, she was laughing at him.

Not tiny giggles like most babies did; this was uncontrollable. She laughed and laughed, kicking her little legs in the air as she did so. Bumi glared at the pale skinned creature and said, "Bet you couldn't do better!"

After a moment she calmed down, but still looked at him with a smile in her little green eyes. Bumi, irritated, reached through the bars and tugged at one of her short black hairs, eliciting a short squall of protest. "Show you to laugh at me," he sneered. Then he blew a raspberry. "_Thbbbbt."_

This set her off into another, shorter laughing fit. Bumi raised an eyebrow.

"_Thbt."_

She laughed again.

"_Thbbbbbbbt."_

This time she paused a second between her laughter and then, to his surprise, blew one back.

"_Thbt._"

"Say, not bad," he complimented her. "_Thbbbbt."_

"_Thbt."_

"_Thbbbt."_

"_Thbbbbbbbt."_

"_THBBBBBT!"_

"Bumi!"

At the sound of his voice Bumi winced and turned to see his mother standing in the doorway, hands on her hips, looking very frustrated.

"Stop spitting on Lin," Katara said, using the baby's name for once.

"I wasn't," Bumi said indignantly. "We were just having fun!"

"Well, can you fun in a way that doesn't involve spit, please?"

The boy rolled his eyes. "Fine…"

"Thank you," she said gratefully. "You know, I'm glad to see you spending time with her. It's about time you got used to the babies being around."

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered, acting as if his mother _couldn't_ _be_ more bossy.

Katara stepped out of the room and waited for a second just outside the door. From her vantage point, she watched as Bumi waited a moment before turning back to crib.

"Well Lin," Bumi said, using the baby's name for the first in perhaps ever, "looks like it's just you and me again. But I guess you're not such bad company. At least you've got a sense of humor, even if it's a mean one."

Lin cooed and Bumi gave her a little grin. The little boy crawled up to stand on the side of the crib and reached down to take one of Lin's tiny hands in his own. He gave it a firm shake and quoted a play he'd seen once.

"I feel this is the start of a beautiful friendship."

And out in the hall, Katara could do nothing but smile.

* * *

**Been a while since I did a kid chapter. So here ya go!**


	39. A Meaningful Try

Lin wasn't the comforting type. Never had been, never would be. So when she came home to find Bumi sitting on the couch looking as if his world just might be ending, she really didn't know how to react.

"Hey," she said quietly. He nodded to acknowledge her speaking.

She waited a minute to see if he would say anything that could indicate what the problem was. When he didn't she asked, "Are you okay?"

He didn't reply verbally, and instead just shook his head slowly.

Lin struggled to think of what to do. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

He shook his head again. By this point the Chief was on the verge of just giving up and letting him deal with this vagueness himself. But his face. That look told her this wasn't a time for quitting. So she suggested the last thing that came to mind.

"Do you need a hug?"

Finally, he looked up, meeting her with sad blue eyes. Without saying a word he nodded his head a little. So, she joined him on the couch and carefully (albeit a bit awkwardly) wrapped her arms around his middle. Not sure of what to do with her head, she finally opted to rest it on his chest.

"Does this help?"

He nodded.

"Do you know how long it'll be until you want to talk?"

He shook his head once more.

"Okay," she said, allowing herself to lean into him more as he wrapped his arms around her and held her like a lifeline.

After a minute she said, "You know that whatever it is, it'll be okay, right? Eventually it'll be okay."

She felt him nod his head.

"And you know I'll always be here to try and help, right?"

Another nod.

"Still love me?"

Vigorous nod and a tighter hug.

She relaxed against him, running a hand up and down his back as she began the long wait to hear what had happened. It would be a while, and they would have some difficulty getting through it, but in the mean time she was trying. Lin Beifong might not have been the comforting type, but she was always willing to try. And when it came to Bumi, she nearly always succeeded.

* * *

**Don't we all have at least one day that was so bad we need a minute before we can actually talk about it? **


	40. Dual Proposal

Bumi nervously fingered the case in his pocket. He'd been planning this for so long, and now the day had come. He was going to do this. He was going to propose to Lin Beifong. For some reason that sentence just didn't make sense.

And in a way, he knew why. He knew Lin wasn't the type to marry. But then, she also wasn't the type to date her ex's brother, fall in love with said brother, allow him to move in along with his spirit friend, or skip a day of work to binge read their favorite horror series together. And yet, in the past year, they'd done all of that together.

Now it was the anniversary of the day he'd _somehow_ convinced her to go on a quick date with him, the event that had set them on this crazy journey together. And now, he knew there would never be a better time.

They'd decided to keep things simple and go out for a simple dinner, followed by a walk through the city. All through the meal he kept stealing glances at her wondering if she had even the slightest inkling of what he'd soon be asking her.

They paid the check and as they exited the restaurant, were quickly embraced by the warm summer night. "It's nice out," he commented as they made their way up the sidewalk.

She nodded in agreement, looking distracted. "Yeah, sure."

He creased his brow and asked, "You okay?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, fine. Just fine."

He didn't believe her. How could anyone believe that sort of reply? But he shut his mouth, hoping that whatever was wrong wouldn't be too serious.

As part of his plan, he led the way through the city, pointing out places which he thought were significant parts of their relationship. The theatre where they'd gone to see their first play together (a beautiful piece filled with war and lots of laughs), the market where they'd gone grocery shopping together for the first time, the street corner where she'd first allowed him to hold her hand in public.

When mentioning this last one he reached over and took her hand once more, curling his fingers tightly around it and running his thumb along the slim digits. But she didn't give him her usual half-grin. She didn't even roll her eyes. She just held his hand in return.

Already stressed with what he planned to do, Bumi couldn't help but worry about the way Lin was acting. And when, after a few more blocks she stopped in front of Police Headquarters, he started to get a bit overwhelmed.

"Everything okay?" He tried to hide his nervousness, but it was difficult. He'd planned on ending up at Headquarters, but it seemed that she had as well.

She replied calmly, "I thought this would be the best place to do it."

He tried to process that sentence. "Do what?"

She didn't answer, choosing to instead look away and draw in a deep breath. She met his eyes again and said, "We've been dating for a year."

Oh no. She was stating the obvious. That was never good.

"I know. That's usually what an anniversary means," he joked.

Lin didn't take the bait. "A year," she repeated. "But it's felt like just a few days, the way it's sped by."

That was a little better. He gave her a grin and said, "Sure has, Hun. And actually, I wanted to talk to you about that-."

"Wait," she interrupted, "let me finish first."

"Oh... okay," he said slowly.

Lin tried to collect her thoughts, and looked up at Headquarters for support. There was her mother's statue, standing tall and resolute as it always did. Something about seeing it there gave her strength enough to go on.

"When I'm with you, I forget about things like time," she said. "I feel like when we're together we're both happy in ways we haven't been in years. But at the same time, what we have right now...it just isn't enough. I need _more_ Bumi. More stability, more commitment. If I'm going to do something, I'm going to go all the way. And so far we haven't done that."

No, was the only word that registered in his mind. No. He wasn't listening to this. She wasn't saying this. She couldn't mean that…

"So I think it's time we fixed that."

Before he could speak to ask what she meant, she got down on one knee.

Then, the Chief of Republic City's Police force, hard-as-nails, no-nonsense, iron-willed Lin Beifong said, "Commander Bumi, I love you. Will you marry me?"

He nearly died of shock. His jaw clenched tight and his arms hung limply at his sides, while his eyes stretched wide as saucers.

After a few moments of that, Lin asked, "Bumi? Are you alright?" She hoped desperately that he wasn't misconstruing this as some desperate attempt to cling to him. Because it wasn't. This was so much more than that. And now she needed answer.

"Bumi," she tried again, getting to her feet, "are you alright?"

"I…" he said slowly, "I...I don't know what to say…"

"Why not?" Her voice was filled with apprehension, wondering if perhaps this had been a mistake.

"Because," he continued, stepping closer to her. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, flat box. "Now I'm not sure what to do with this."

He opened it and it was her turn to be shocked. She gaped at the small rounded stone. It was light green, with the symbol of the earthbenders carved into its surface. The earthbending symbol cradled a single tree leaf, much like the ones that grew on the Island.

"Took me forever to make," he complained. "But I guess I can just toss it out…"

"Oh, you moron!" she cried, taking and shutting the box before grabbing him by his collar and pulling him in for a kiss.

He kissed her in return, slowly, before pulling back with a grin. "Looks like we have more in common than we thought."

She shook her head as she lifted the stone to reveal the dark green ribbon it was fastened to. "I can't believe it," she breathed. "So...is that a yes?"

"Is _that_ a yes?"

Then in unison they said, "Yes."

Then they smiled, small ones, secretive ones, relishing this moment.

"You know," he said, "I was hoping to ask you out here, in front of the station. This is the first place I realized I was in love with you. Hey what?"

She shook her head, grinning at his statement. "Same here, big guy," she murmured.

Without another word they embraced, holding each other in the simplest yet dearest form of contact. They held each other that way for quite some time. And for all they cared, it could last forever.

* * *

**Couldn't decided on who would be more likely to propose first. So I figured, why not both?**

**Also, to Guest: You were saying?**


End file.
